Behind the Flock backlash in San Francisco
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Activists and citizens across the political spectrum are pushing back against license plate readers made by Flock and similar companies, fueled by privacy concerns and suspected police misuse.
Why it matters: Flock cameras are suddenly emerging as the next big target of populist anti-tech, pro-privacy sentiment, alongside the data centers fueling the AI boom.
- Advocates say the cameras help crack down on crime, but opponents say they're a form of surveillance that infringes on residents' civil liberties. Some have even turned to sabotaging the cameras.
Friction point: San Francisco has become a flashpoint for the backlash, with anti-surveillance posters appearing across the city, residents mapping and criticizing the cameras on social media and protesters vandalizing or attempting to take them down.
- The city began rolling out its network of about 400 cameras at 100 intersections in 2024 to help combat crime, per the Chronicle.
Fears that Flock data could be accessed by immigration authorities have fueled much of the backlash, alongside concerns about privacy and misuse.
- An SFPD officer used Flock to look for his wife's stolen vehicle and obtained camera images that were later posted on Instagram, The SF Standard reports.
- SFPD also disclosed that an audit found its Flock data had been improperly searched nearly 300 times on behalf of federal and out-of-state law enforcement agencies, KQED reports.
The big picture: Flock has a presence in every U.S. state, with more than 120,000 cameras across the country, the company tells Axios.
How it works: Flock and other automated license plate reader cameras are placed on streets and highways and use AI to capture and store information like car license plates, car make and other features.
But mistrust and upheaval are leading communities nationwide to protest, cancel contracts and even sue over the use of Flock.
The latest: Flock said last week it's strengthening privacy and accountability measures, including mandatory misuse detection and shorter default data-retention periods in some places.
- DeFlock, a national group that tracks and opposes Flock cameras, responded on X: "No guardrails. No regulations. No 'only if they really need to' pinky promises."
What we're watching: Whether the posters, online organizing and vandalism appearing in San Francisco become a preview of broader resistance as Flock's national footprint grows.