Americans are destroying Flock surveillance cameras

Source: TechCrunch

Background

Brian Merchant, writing for Blood in the Machine, reports that people across the United States are dismantling and destroying Flock surveillance cameras amid rising public anger that the license‑plate readers aid U.S. immigration authorities and deportations.

Flock is an Atlanta‑based surveillance startup valued at $7.5 billion a year ago (TechCrunch) and a maker of license‑plate readers. It has faced criticism for allowing federal authorities access to its massive network of nationwide license‑plate readers and databases at a time when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are increasingly relying on data (TechCrunch) to raid communities.

Flock cameras allow authorities to track where people go and when by taking photos of license plates from thousands of cameras located across the United States. Flock claims it doesn’t 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.

Incidents of Vandalism

• La Mesa, California – Merchant reports broken and smashed Flock cameras just weeks after the city council approved the continuation of the deployment, despite a clear majority of public attendees favoring shutdown. A local report described strong opposition and privacy concerns (SDSLackers).

• Oregon (Eugene/Springfield area) – 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 read, “Hahaha get wrecked ya surveilling fucks” (Lookout Eugene‑Springfield).

• Other states – Vandalism reports have also emerged from Connecticut, Illinois, and Virginia, indicating a broader backlash against the technology.

Community Response

Several communities are calling on their cities to end contracts with Flock (NPR). Dozens of cities have so far rejected the use of Flock’s cameras, and some police departments have blocked federal authorities from using their resources (VPM News).

Scale of Deployment

According to DeFlock, a project aimed at mapping license‑plate readers, there are close to 80,000 cameras across the United States. This extensive network underscores the magnitude of the privacy concerns driving the current backlash.

Company Comment

A Flock spokesperson did not say, when reached by TechCrunch, if the company keeps track of how many cameras have been destroyed since being deployed.