ACLU and EFF Sue San Jose for Blanketing with Flock Surveillance Cameras
17 hours ago
- #lawsuit
- #privacy
- #surveillance
- ACLU and EFF lawyers sued San Jose over its deployment of Flock’s license plate-reading surveillance cameras.
- The lawsuit claims the nearly 500 cameras create a pervasive database of residents' movements, violating California’s constitution and privacy laws.
- The lawsuit seeks to require police to obtain a warrant to search Flock’s license plate system.
- San Jose’s ALPR program is criticized for invasiveness, retaining driver locations for a year and covering sensitive locations like clinics and immigration centers.
- Over 2.6 million vehicles were tracked in October alone using Flock’s ALPR cameras in San Jose.
- The lawsuit argues warrantless searches of ALPR data are illegal under California’s constitution and privacy laws.
- EFF’s Andrew Crocker emphasized the pervasiveness of surveillance, with drivers likely captured multiple times daily.
- The case is part of a broader backlash against Flock’s expansion and its national database accessible to local law enforcement.
- The remedy sought is a warrant requirement to prevent unchecked searches and protect privacy.