San Diego community groups push back against Flock cameras
The short version: KPBS News highlights San Diego residents organizing against Flock ALPR cameras, underscoring growing public distrust of unchecked plate surveillance.
Our Take
Credit to KPBS News for giving airtime to something that rarely gets covered outside city council minutes: ordinary people realizing that every drive to work, church, or a protest is being logged by a private company's camera network. San Diego isn't unique here — it's the same story playing out in hundreds of towns where Flock Safety convinced local officials this was just about catching car thieves, not building a searchable database of everyone's movements.
What makes community pushback like this matter is that it's often the only check these systems get. Flock contracts get signed quietly, cameras go up fast, and most residents never see a public hearing until neighbors start asking questions. When San Diegans show up to object, they're doing the oversight work that elected officials and agency heads skipped. That's worth amplifying, not burying.
If you want to see whether this is already happening on your street, check our camera map, and if you'd rather not wait for a news crew to show up before you act, our take-action guide walks you through how to push back locally.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of KPBS News, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.