Cover Flock cameras insists Palo Alto privacy advocate #deflock #paloalto

Our Take

Credit to Matt Schlegel for getting this on camera: Palo Alto residents showing up to a city council meeting and saying, in plain terms, cover the cameras. That's not a fringe demand — it's what happens when people realize a network of license plate readers is quietly logging everyone's movements regardless of whether they're suspected of anything. When the public comment period turns into a chorus asking for the hardware to be physically blacked out, that's a sign the city's messaging about "it's just for solving crimes" isn't landing anymore.

Palo Alto isn't unique here — it's part of a much bigger pattern of city councils approving Flock contracts with minimal debate, then facing a backlash once residents actually learn how the data gets shared, pooled into nationwide networks, and accessed by outside agencies including ICE and other federal partners. "Abolish Flock" isn't rhetoric for the people in that room; it's a response to a surveillance system that was sold as a crime-fighting tool and functions as a tracking grid for every driver in town, guilty or not.

If you want to see whether your own neighborhood has these cameras, check our camera map, and if you're ready to push back at your own council meeting, our take-action page has the tools to help you do it.