Florida orders removal of license plate readers, including Flock cameras
The short version: CNN reports Florida's DOT is ordering ALPR cameras off state rights-of-way, a rare regulatory win against Flock's unchecked expansion into public infrastructure.
Our Take
When a state DOT tells Flock Safety to pack up its cameras, it's a sign the backlash has finally reached the people who actually control the poles. For years, Flock and its law enforcement customers have treated highway shoulders, road signs, and utility easements as free real estate for a nationwide surveillance dragnet. Florida pumping the brakes on that, even partially, is the kind of accountability we rarely see from state agencies.
Flock's line that these cameras are "an important safety tool" is the same script every mass surveillance vendor recites when regulators start asking questions. Safety tool or not, the public right-of-way isn't Flock's sales floor, and permission to use it shouldn't be assumed just because a police department signed a contract. If Florida can claw back that ground, other states can too, and that's exactly the kind of precedent this movement needs.
This is one battle in a much bigger fight. Check our camera map to see what's tracking you in your own state, and head to take action if you want to push your local officials to follow Florida's lead.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of CNN, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.