As a local business owner, mother, and grandmother, I am deeply concerned about the increasingly pervasive use of Flock Safety cameras, also known as Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPR), in the parking lots of major retailers such as Home Depot, Lowe's, Target, Walmart, and Costco. These cameras are not merely collecting license plate data for security purposes; they are tracking detailed information about every person that enters these parking lots.

The data gathered isn't just sitting idly. It is shared with government agencies like ICE, which means that each time we park to shop, vast amounts of information about our movements are being uploaded to insecure cloud storage systems, vulnerable to both internal and external breaches. There has been no public consultation or discourse about the establishment of such a comprehensive surveillance network, making it a blatant violation of our Fourth Amendment rights.

According to the Fourth Amendment, our right to privacy should not be violated without just cause. The idea that merely entering a store's parking lot can classify us as someone to be tracked and monitored contradicts the fundamental principles of privacy and freedom. The consequences of this surveillance far outweigh any alleged benefits to law enforcement.

Statistics show that while ALPRs can aid in vehicle location for crime-related purposes, the unintended consequence of mass data collection in this manner has broader implications for civil liberties. Reports from the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation highlight how this data collection compromises privacy, increases the potential for abuse, and offers minimal improvements in public safety.

Retail giants must remain transparent and accountable to the communities they serve. The public should have a definitive say about whether their personal movements are tracked, stored, and potentially abused. It's critical that these retailers respect our civil liberties and find alternative measures to enhance security while respecting privacy.

Join me in demanding that Home Depot, Lowe's, Target, Walmart, and Costco immediately cease the use of Flock Safety cameras in their parking lots. Sign this petition to protect our privacy and uphold our constitutional rights. Together, we can prevent a future where surveillance trumps our freedom of movement.