Brian Merchant, writing for Blood in the Machine, reports that people across the United States are dismantling and destroying Flock surveillance cameras, amid growing public anger that license plate readers are helping US immigration authorities and deportations.
Flock is an Atlanta-based startup valued at $7.5 billion a year ago and a manufacturer of license plate readers. It has faced criticism for allowing federal authorities access to its vast network of nationwide license plate readers and databases at a time when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is increasingly relying on the data to raid communities as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.
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 United States. Flock says it does not directly share data with ICE, but reports indicate that local police have shared their own access to Flock cameras and their databases with federal authorities.
While some communities are calling on their cities to end contracts with Flock, others are taking matters into their own hands.
A merchant reports cases of smashed and broken Flock cameras in La Mesa, California, just weeks after the City Council approved the continuation of Flock cameras deployed in the city, despite a clear majority of participants favoring their shutdown. A local report cited strong opposition to the surveillance technology, with residents raising concerns about privacy.
Other cases of vandalism spread from California and Connecticut to Illinois and Virginia. In Oregon, six license plate-scanning pole cameras were cut down and at least one spray-painted. A note left at the base of the cut stakes said, “Hahaha shipwreck, you’re watching,” Merchant reports.
According to the DeFlock project, which focuses on mapping license plate readers, there are nearly 80,000 cameras in the United States. Dozens of cities have so far refused to use Flock’s cameras, and some police departments have since blocked federal authorities from using their resources.
A spokesperson for Flock, when contacted by TechCrunch, would not say whether the company keeps track of how many cameras have been destroyed since they were deployed.