Protesters call on San Diego to stop using Flock cameras
The short version: San Diego residents took to the streets demanding the city rip out Flock Safety's ALPR cameras, and FOX 5's coverage shows the backlash is spreading beyond city council chambers.
Our Take
When ordinary residents start organizing protests over license plate readers, that's a signal the usual reassurances from police departments and vendors aren't landing anymore. FOX 5 San Diego's coverage of this demonstration captures something we've seen building across the country: people are tired of being told that a network of cameras logging every car's movements is "just for solving crimes" when the data trail says otherwise.
San Diego isn't a minor market for Flock — it's exactly the kind of sprawling, car-dependent city where blanket ALPR coverage can quietly map out where you go to church, who you visit, what protests you attend. Protesters showing up in person, rather than just filing public comment, suggests patience with city hall's surveillance expansion is running out. That kind of grassroots pressure has gotten cameras pulled in other cities before, and it can work in San Diego too.
If you want to see how many of these cameras are already watching your own neighborhood, check our camera map, and if you're ready to push back the way San Diego residents are, our take-action page has the tools to get started.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of FOX 5 San Diego, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.