Flock No to Cleveland: Axon isn't the answer
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Cleveland's anti-surveillance activists urge City Council to reject Mayor Justin Bibb's proposed switch from Flock Safety to Axon license plate readers.
Why it matters: The Flock No Cleveland campaign writes in a new letter that replacing one surveillance vendor with another ignores growing public opposition to AI-powered mass surveillance.
Catch up quick: Council introduced legislation Monday authorizing a one-year Axon contract, with four renewal options, to replace the city's roughly 100 Flock cameras.
- Council voted in July to extend the current Flock contract for six months as the city considered new vendors.
The intrigue: The proposal does not currently specify a contract price nor the total number of cameras.
- "They're essentially asking you to write them a blank check," Flock No writes.
What they're saying: "Swapping out Flock for a different vendor is not going to magically erase public opposition to having our movement history and everyday activities being logged in a massive database," the group tells council members.
The other side: The Bibb administration says Axon offers stronger privacy safeguards while preserving a valuable law enforcement tool, Ideastream reports.
- And though the issue has divided City Council, some members say they and their constituents support these cameras on safety grounds.
Between the lines: Last week's election vividly illustrated the mounting skepticism toward powerful technology companies and their physical buildouts, with Ohio voters overwhelmingly approving local restrictions on data centers.
What we're watching: Council will consider the proposed Axon contract in committee in the coming weeks, though a hearing has not yet been announced.
The last word: "To authorize a new ALPR contract with Axon, whose technology operates on the same principle as Flock's and whose ties to the federal government go much deeper, would show a concerning lack of understanding of the political moment and the will of Clevelanders," the Flock No letter reads.