“Individuals should be concerned because this could happen to you,” White stated. “This is a tool that law enforcement agencies are now utilizing to record and monitor your actions and whereabouts, all without your approval.”
Critics unite across political lines to oppose Flock
At present, Flock has a wide-ranging influence, “offering services to 5,000 police departments, 1,000 businesses, and various homeowner associations in 49 states,” legislators pointed out. Furthermore, in October, Flock collaborated with Amazon, enabling law enforcement to request footage from Ring cameras, thereby expanding Flock’s surveillance capabilities.
Nonetheless, Flock’s presence does not reach certain municipalities in Arizona, Colorado, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia, following successful local efforts to terminate Flock agreements. These local battles are just beginning as groups share knowledge and strategies, Sarah Hamid, EFF’s director of strategic campaigns, informed Ars.
“Numerous cities are currently running active campaigns across the nation—both urban and rural, in states that lean blue and red,” Hamid mentioned.
A Flock representative communicated to Ars that the increasing movement to eliminate cameras “represents an exceedingly small number of communities that contemplate deploying Flock technology (low single-digit percentages).” To ensure Flock’s cameras remain operational in city areas, Flock participates in “hundreds of local community gatherings and City Council meetings monthly, and the overwhelming majority of those agreements are approved,” according to Flock’s representative.
Hamid contested Flock’s “description of camera removals as isolated occurrences,” pointing out “that does not align with what we are observing.”
“The removals cover various states and embody diverse organizing approaches—some led by the community, others initiated by councils, and some prompted by financial limitations,” Hamid noted.
Most recently, officials in Sedona, Arizona, voted to dismantle Flock cameras this autumn.
A 72-year-old retiree, Sandy Boyce, significantly contributed to the local movement after discovering that Sedona had “quietly” renewed its contract with Flock, as NBC News reported. She felt furious at the thought of her tax dollars continuing to back a surveillance system that monitored her actions without her permission, she shared with NBC News.
