ALPRs, or automatic license plate readers, have begun to crop up around the suburb of Dewitt in recent months. These cameras utilize AI technology to spy on each and every vehicle they observe; regardless of suspected criminality. The company behind these cameras, Flock, has frequently lied to city council members across the U.S. as to the true reach of these cameras and their mass-surveillance of the American people. These cameras are also frequently unsecured, meaning anybody with a website link can observe what they see in real time; a fact horrifying when one considers how many of these cameras are pointed toward playgrounds, schools, and other areas where our most vulnerable community members reside. These cameras have resulted in a woman and her children being held at gunpoint due to being falsely flagged as operating a stolen vehicle. The information they collect is accessible by anyone, including police both local and across the continent, without a warrant. They have been and will continue to be used to harass protestors and dissidents. Police officers have also used the program's data to stalk exes, target minorities, and spy on common citizens. It is abundantly clear that these cameras are a violation of our right to privacy alongside the Fourth Amendment. We must follow in the footsteps of not only Syracuse but the nation as a whole as we tell flock to get the FLOCK OUT!

Joseph Chiarenza

1 petition targeting Joseph Chiarenza