Why is ASU keeping Flock Safety cameras?
The short version: Tempe dropped Flock, but ASU keeps 20 cameras running on its campus — a reminder that public pressure doesn't automatically reach quasi-public institutions.
Our Take
Credit to The Copper Courier for spotlighting a gap that surveillance critics see all the time: a city government responds to constituent pressure and cuts ties with Flock Safety, while a university sitting inside that same city just keeps rolling. ASU isn't a municipality accountable to Tempe voters in the same way, and that distinction matters. It means a campus of tens of thousands of students, staff, and visitors can be blanketed in plate-reading cameras even after the surrounding community decided it didn't want that kind of tracking infrastructure anymore.
This is a pattern worth watching nationally. Universities, hospitals, business improvement districts, and private HOAs often operate as surveillance islands that aren't bound by the same contracts, public records fights, or city council votes that force transparency elsewhere. ASU saying it's keeping its 20 cameras up isn't just a local story — it's a case study in how ALPR networks persist and expand through institutional loopholes even when the political will to remove them exists right next door.
If you want to see how dense this coverage actually is in Tempe, on ASU's campus, or anywhere else, check out our camera map. And if you're a student, employee, or resident who thinks a public university should answer to the same scrutiny as a city government, our take-action page has tools for pushing back.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of The Copper Courier, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.