Within the past year, The University of Alabama discreetly installed several Flock cameras on campus. Although ALPRs like Flock are marketed as license plate readers, its capabilities allow it to easily jump from plate to person.  Recent (and forthcoming) updates in sound/pattern recognition allow law enforcement to widen the scope of their usage. 

News reports across the nation unveil Flock as a central figure in  privacy violations and wrongful arrests.  Police officers abuse these cameras for stalking and harassment, which makes it particularly concerning that two cameras are stationed around sorority houses. Several police departments also use information from Flock to aid ICE seizures. 

Hackers can access the live feed from these cameras– a glaring privacy issue that Flock’s company has yet to meaningfully address. September’s data breach may be the largest one to date, but that is far from the only time images/info have made their way into the wrong hands.

The University of Alabama's Leftist Collective has made several efforts to share our demand with administration, but our concerns fall on deaf ears. There is strength in numbers, so please sign and share our petition! 

You can keep up with UA's Leftist Collective through Instagram and our website. We share updates on our campaign, upcoming events, and more! We recommend you check DeFlock's website to get a visual of the Flock Cameras near you (hint: there are probably a bunch!). 

IG: ualeftists

website: ualeftists.github.io

DeFlock's website: deflock.org