Amid rising public concern over the use of Flock surveillance cameras and their potential ties to U.S. immigration authorities, Americans are taking direct action against the technology, reports Brian Merchant for TechCrunch. Flock, a $7.5 billion Atlanta-based startup, manufactures license plate readers that have come under scrutiny for their perceived connections to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The surveillance cameras, which are spread across the country, capture license plate data that can be accessed by federal authorities. While Flock denies direct data sharing with ICE, reports suggest that local police have shared access to Flock’s cameras and databases with federal agencies.
Instances of vandalism against Flock cameras have been reported in various states, including California, Connecticut, Illinois, and Virginia. In La Mesa, California, cameras were destroyed despite city council approval for their continued use, reflecting residents’ privacy concerns and opposition to the technology.
DeFlock, a project mapping license plate readers, estimates nearly 80,000 such cameras in the U.S. The public pushback highlights a growing resistance to surveillance technologies with perceived links to controversial government practices.
Source: TechCrunch