If you’re driving in Tuscaloosa, remember to smile for the cameras.
Flock cameras are automated license plate readers and one of the newest controversies across the nation. They are one of several products offered by the company Flock Safety and are sold to local municipalities for the purpose of crime prevention and investigation. As of now, there are about 120,000 Flock cameras across the U.S., conducting roughly 2 billion scans per month. According to AL.com, that includes 2,800 in Alabama, with The Crimson White reporting 100 in Tuscaloosa and several on campus.
Flock claims on its website that its technology has helped find over 10,000 missing people and assisted in over 1 million criminal cases. To some, these cameras enhance safety. Many police agencies in Alabama think so, including the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. In a statement last month, Sergeant Josh Hastings of the TCSO said that Flock cameras were “a huge tool for us, helping keep the community safe.”
Privacy concerns remain widespread, however. Critics from ACLU and CBS12 argue that Flock cameras constitute mass surveillance and lead to erroneous arrests.
And there is good reason to be concerned. Namely, that Flock cameras can misread plates, leading to dangerous situations for innocent people. Last September, a Flock representative claimed that the technology had a plate accuracy of 90%, according to an article from Business Insider.
True or not, those 10% of cases have already led to many incidents, including an elderly couple being held at gunpoint after their license plate was misread as one belonging to a stolen vehicle. The Institute for Justice reports dozens of similar instances occurring due to inaccuracies in plate reading.
In some localities, the misidentification rate is as high as 71%. It goes without saying that a technology that is wrong more often than it is right may not be the best choice for public safety. And even if Flock’s error rate were exceptionally low, there is always the possibility of innocent people being caught up by a routine error that they had no way of preventing.
Only 38% of Americans say they support Flock cameras in their communities, compared to 46% opposition. The new technology has sparked bipartisan backlash across the country, and a vandalism outbreak of Flock cameras has spread like wildfire. Two cameras in Tuscaloosa were vandalized just recently, and The Crimson White reported earlier this month that some students plan on protesting their presence on-campus.
The invasion of privacy by this technology that nobody voted for is both unpopular and dangerous. According to Politico, over 50 cities and counties have cut ties with Flock in the past year, in large part due to public backlash.
With public opinion declining and many localities already moving away from license plate readers, the writing may be on the wall for Flock. Still, for those concerned about the privacy of themselves and their neighbors, it is important to advocate for the removal of these cameras from our communities. One can only hope Tuscaloosa will be able to consider itself de-flocked soon.
Until then, however, remember: Big Brother is watching.
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