The cameras being aimed at us seem to have crossed a line. Security cameras can be helpful. There's a definite benefit when it comes to solving crimes. But these cameras are owned and operated by private citizens for profit. They are about more than helping solve crimes. We have little to no control over who they sell the data for or how it might be used. They have become a major invasion of privacy for law-abiding citizens. I suspect as time goes on, we will learn more and more about how we're being tracked and how the data is used against us in the near future. I seriously doubt the people saying that law-abiding citizens should be just fine about it, will feel the same. As for me, I've learned enough to have major concerns.
Note: I am referring to the cameras as FLOCK cameras, but that's a brand name for an ALPR, which stands for Automatic License Plate Reader. Note: these cameras can detect way more than just license plates. There are other brands that make ALPRs, but for now they all seem to get lumped together and call a FLOCK camera. It's sort of like how people say Kleenex rather than facial tissue, even though there are other brands besides Kleenex. FLOCK is the major player.
One recent use of Flock camera databases has been to track women crossing state lines on the chance they might seek an abortion. Innocent people have been arrested after being accused of something they didn't do and end up having to battle with the camera company before getting it all straight with the courts. Also, quite a few law enforcement workers have been fired for using it to stalk unsuspecting women they know - wives, love interests, etc. Again - CREEPY!
The rest of this is a mattering of info I came across that might be helpful as you think about how you might work to get this surveillance mess under control - - -
Lowes and Home Depot are two big users of Flock Cameras.
Hundreds of Lowe’s and Home Depot stores secretly roll out ‘anti-theft network’ across the US - The US Sun. While Home Depot and Lowe’s disclose the use of ALPRs on their websites, the data is shared more widely than customers may know. “Do customers know that these stores are collecting their data and sharing indiscriminately? Probably not,” said Dave Maass, director of investigations at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. “Have these companies given thought about how this data might put their customers in danger, whether it’s cops stalking their exes or aggressive ICE agents targeting yard workers? Probably not."
While looking into Lowe's and Home Depot's use of Flock Cameras, I came across an interesting site - WHO APPROVED THIS. It keeps up with lots of Flock contracts. Here's a snippet of what is shown for Georgia (click image to enlarge) -
When I clicked on Fayetteville, this blurb came up -
Approved by Fayetteville City Council on June 4, 2026.The Fayetteville City Council approved a new five-year Flock Safety service agreement at a work session on June 4, 2026, over objections from residents who spoke at the meeting. The service costs $308,000 a year; added service fees bring the total to $1.6 million, and the city pays the full amount at signing rather than annually. The money comes from 2023 special local option sales tax proceeds. Fayetteville has run Flock cameras since its first contract began on June 18, 2020. Police Chief Robert Mask told the council the cameras had helped most in stolen vehicle cases and said he would hold officers accountable for misuse. Flock public affairs officer Jalen Johnson said data is kept 30 days, that only approved law enforcement users can reach it, and that the cameras photograph plates rather than faces. Residents asked about the ability to reconstruct a person's travel history, the five-year commitment, and an incident in Dunwoody where company staff had accessed cameras near the Marcus Jewish Community Center, which Johnson attributed to engineers testing the system.
Notably, in July, 3 Fayetteville police officers were fired for misusing the flock data - 3 more metro Atlanta police officers fired, accused of misusing Flock cameras. Three officers in Coweta County were allowed to RESIGN instead of being fired after being caught doing the same thing - 3 Coweta County Sheriff’s Office employees resign after Flock audit. That allows them to possibly get another job with a different law enforcement agency.
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FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE - a group of artists, engineers, activists, and technologists who have been behind the largest online protests in human history, channeling Internet outrage into political power to win public interest victories previously thought to be impossible. We fight for a future where technology is a force for liberation— not oppression.
ULTRAVIOLET - Lowe’s: Protect Women. DROP FLOCK! - a petition to Lowe's Home Improvement CEO Marvin Ellison, Executive Vice Presidents Seemantini Godbole and Juliette W. Pryor, and all of Lowe’s leadership.
Their petition is very informative:
The negative impacts of Flock’s mass surveillance system are staggering, particularly at this unprecedented moment in our country’s history in which people across the U.S. — namely women seeking reproductive healthcare, immigrants, protesters, journalists, and people simply looking out for their neighbors' safety — are increasingly being monitored and attacked by federal agents and other bad actors.Flock’s dystopian license plate readers are supplying the data needed to carry out these attacks. And that’s not all: these systems are often wrong and are regularly used to stalk women. It’s estimated that 1 in 10 license plates scanned by Flock automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) get the state wrong, and there are countless reports of law enforcement agents wrongfully misusing Flock databases to stalk women, including ex-partners.Women are disproportionately at risk of violence and deserve safety, but it’s clear that this massive network of surveillance cameras is meant to monitor, control, and punish us, rather than actually keep us safe. As a coalition of women and allies, including Lowe’s customers, we demand that Lowe’s sever all ties with Flock and immediately shut off Flock cameras in Lowe’s parking lots. Doing so is essential to protect your customers — especially your women customers that make up about half of your shoppers — and take a stand against warrantless surveillance.
DEFLOCK AMERICA - A Facebook Group quote
DEFLOCK - An open-source project mapping license plate readers. Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs or LPRs) are AI-powered cameras that capture and analyze images of all passing vehicles, storing details like your car's location, date, and time. They also capture your car's make, model, color, and identifying features such as dents, roof racks, and bumper stickers, often turning these into searchable data points. These cameras collect data on millions of vehicles regardless of whether the driver is suspected of a crime. These systems are marketed as indispensable tools to fight crime, but they ignore the powerful tools police already have to track criminals, such as cell phone location data, creating a loophole that doesn't require a warrant.
DEFLOCK MAPS - This can be used to see where cameras are and even to find a route where you can avoid the cameras. I live in the boonies and there were more in my area than I would have guessed.
DEFLOCK THE USA - Another good map of Flock Cameras - See the automated license-plate readers logged across the country — 135,696 and counting. Tap any camera for its dossier: who operates it, which way it faces, the street it watches, and when it was first reported. Updated hourly — when a new camera is reported anywhere in America, it’s on this map and in the National Record Index within the hour. Camera locations curated by the volunteer-run DeFlock project; the dossiers and the permanent history are ours.
WHO TO CONTACT
There are so many contact options for this issue. Of course, contacting lawmakers is important. We need some laws on the books to stop surveillance abuse. You might want to start local with your city, county and state reps, but national level lawmakers will need to hear from us as well.
You can also contact various retail corporations. Lowes and Home Depot will be a good start, especially since they are assisting ICE in rounding up immigrants who are clearly not criminal or "the worst of the worst".
Lowes Headquarters1000 Lowe’s BlvdMooresville, NC 28117
Home Depot Headquarters2455 Paces Ferry Rd SEAtlanta, GA 30339
You might even decide to go straight after Flock. They are making a great deal of money right now, so they likely won't care, but maybe they need to understand that many of us strongly disapprove of mass surveillance.
Flock Safety, also known as Flock Group Inc., is a privately held American company specializing in surveillance technology. It was founded in 2017 by Garrett Langley, Paige Todd, and Matt Feury. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The CEO of Flock Safety is Garrett Langley.
The Flock Headquarters address was not easy to find. They apparently moved again within the last month. They seem to be keeping their new location on the down low, but multiple web sites are blasting their new address as this one, which is in "The Medici Building".
3284 Northside Parkway NW, Suite 150
Atlanta, Georgia 30327
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| The Medici Building |
While searching, these addresses are also given on multiple sites, but I don't *think* they are being used anymore.
- 1170 Howell Mill Rd NW UNIT 210, Atlanta, GA 30318. (866) 901-1781
- 1160 Howell Mill Road NW, Suite 210, Atlanta, Georgia
- 1885 Mitchell Rd, Mableton, GA 30126,