Bipartisan opposition to Flock Safety cameras grows in the US
In the United States, politicians from the Republican and Democratic parties, as well as local authorities in various states, are opposing Flock Safety automatic license plate recognition cameras. As The Guardian World reports, more than 100 jurisdictions have already canceled contracts with the company, according to the nonprofit Institute for Justice.
Cameras and data sharing
Flock Safety cameras photograph vehicle license plates so that police and private security companies can track the movement of cars in a specific area. About 120,000 such cameras have been installed in the United States, carrying out roughly 2 billion scans each month.
Flock Safety was founded in 2017. Its software enables different law enforcement agencies to share data: a license plate scan made by police in one state can quickly be used by agencies in another. The network is also frequently used by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The company became the center of controversy following reports of possible camera misuse by police officers in several states. According to the publication, law enforcement officers used the system to stalk former partners and track people seeking abortions. Flock Safety did not provide a comment before the publication of the report.
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Reaction from politicians and communities
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, blocked state agencies from purchasing Flock products. Progressive Senator Bernie Sanders said he intends to introduce legislation to limit the use of these cameras. Republican Senator Josh Hawley launched an inquiry into possible privacy violations related to Flock.
Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna is co-authoring a bill with Republican Congressman Thomas Massie. The document would prohibit spending federal funds on the purchase of Flock cameras. At the same time, some municipalities that ended cooperation with the company are replacing its devices with systems from other manufacturers.
According to data and a survey by The Washington Post, about 46% of Americans oppose the use of license plate recognition systems in their communities. This is 13 percentage points more than a year earlier. Protests against the cameras have also taken place across the country, while videos of their destruction spread on social media.
