Lebanon is going to cover up its Flock cameras as privacy concerns about the devices grow
The short version: Lebanon is covering up its Flock ALPR cameras after local pushback, a rare case of a city hitting pause on automated surveillance.
Our Take
Credit to The Working Lunch for covering a story we wish happened more often: a city actually responding to public pressure instead of quietly renewing its Flock contract. When officials start throwing tarps over camera poles, it's a tacit admission that the "it's just for finding stolen cars" pitch doesn't hold up once residents start asking who else gets access to that data, how long it's kept, and what happens when the system misfires.
Covering the cameras isn't the same as removing them, and that distinction matters. Hardware left in place can be uncovered just as fast as it went dark, often with zero public notice or new vote. Lebanon's move should be read as a pause button, not a win — the real fight is getting these systems decommissioned or, at minimum, locked behind real audit trails, data-sharing limits, and community oversight that survives a change in council mood.
If you're in a town watching Flock get installed — or quietly uncovered again — check our camera map to see what's already out there, and head to our take-action page for tools to push your own city council toward transparency instead of a tarp.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of The Working Lunch, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.