Brian Merchant reports that people across the United States are dismantling and destroying Flock surveillance cameras. This rising public anger stems from the license plate readers aiding U.S. immigration authorities and deportations.
Flock is an Atlanta-based surveillance startup valued at $7.5 billion a year ago. As a maker of license plate readers, it has faced criticism for allowing federal authorities access to its massive nationwide network and databases. This access comes at a time when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is increasingly relying on data to raid communities as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Flock cameras allow authorities to track where people go and when by taking photos of their license plates from thousands of cameras located across the country. Flock claims it does not share data with ICE directly, but reports show that local police have shared their own access to Flock cameras and its databases with federal authorities.
While some communities are calling on their cities to end their contracts with Flock, others are taking matters into their own hands. Merchant reports instances of broken and smashed Flock cameras in La Mesa, California. This happened just weeks after the city council approved the continuation of Flock cameras deployed in the city, despite a clear majority of attendees favoring their shutdown. A local report cited strong opposition to the surveillance technology, with residents raising privacy concerns.
Other cases of vandalism have stretched from California and Connecticut to Illinois and Virginia. In Oregon, six license plate scanning cameras on poles were cut down and at least one was spray painted. A note left at the base of the severed poles contained a message against surveillance.
According to a project aimed at mapping license plate readers, there are close to 80,000 cameras across the United States. Dozens of cities have so far rejected the use of Flock’s cameras, and some police departments have since blocked federal authorities from using their resources. Flock did not respond to a request for comment.