Flock’s multi-billion dollar surveillance empire faces a terrifying reckoning as Americans are dismantling and destroying their cameras

People across the United States are taking matters into their own hands, actively dismantling and destroying Flock surveillance cameras as public anger boils over regarding their use by U.S. immigration authorities and their role in deportations, as reported by Blood in the Machine. This escalating tension signals a terrifying reckoning for the multi-billion-dollar surveillance empire.

Flock, an Atlanta-based surveillance startup, makes license plate readers and was valued at a whopping $7.5 billion just a year ago. These cameras are designed to track where people go and when, taking photos of license plates from thousands of locations nationwide. While Flock claims it doesn’t directly share data with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), reports indicate that local police departments have been sharing their access to Flock’s cameras and databases with federal authorities.

This practice is fueling significant opposition, especially as ICE increasingly relies on data to conduct raids in communities. This situation has left many feeling like their privacy is under siege. You’ve got a company with a massive network, close to 80,000 cameras according to the DeFlock project, which maps these license plate readers, and that data is potentially being used in ways that directly impact people’s lives and communities.

Instead of just calling on their cities to end contracts with Flock, some residents are getting hands-on

In La Mesa, California, for instance, cameras were found broken and smashed just weeks after the city council voted to continue deploying them. This happened despite a clear majority of attendees at a public meeting favoring their shutdown, with residents voicing strong privacy concerns.

Cases of vandalism against Flock cameras have popped up all over, stretching from California and Connecticut to Illinois and Virginia. In Oregon, things got pretty intense when six license plate-scanning cameras mounted on poles were cut down, and at least one was spray-painted. A note left at the base of the severed poles didn’t mince words, saying, “Hahaha get wrecked ya surveilling f—s.”

Dozens of cities have also officially rejected the use of Flock’s cameras. Plus, some police departments have even blocked federal authorities from using their resources. When contacted, a Flock spokesperson didn’t comment on whether the company keeps track of how many cameras have been destroyed since they were deployed.

The bottom line is that people are really pushing back against this pervasive surveillance, especially when it’s perceived as aiding deportations under the President Trump administration. This isn’t just about privacy anymore; it’s about communities actively resisting technology they believe is being used against them. And with the mounting public sentiment, Ring also had to sever ties with Flock recently.