Demand the mayor protect people from harmful mass surveillance.

BACKGROUND:

Richmond has added approximately 100 mass surveillance cameras without public input. Automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) are cameras that use AI to track, collect, and store the movements of every traveler. They threaten the safety, liberty and privacy of millions of innocent people. The city has contracted with Flock Safety, one of the worst offenders on invading privacy.

ALPRs can easily be abused by private companies, the police, and the government. Such abuse is already well documented and widespread. Abuses range from tracking people because of political views, sexual orientation, immigration status, intimate partners, women seeking reproductive healthcare, and racial identity. Federal agencies such as ICE and CBP, as well as other out-of-state agencies have accessed ALPR data.

On October 10th, Mayor Danny Avula announced that the “city will not move forward with the Flock ALPR contract when it’s up for renewal.” Additionally, the mayor said:

"Now that Henrico has decided to end their contract with Flock, it clarifies the picture for me. Because Flock, specifically, is now less useful as a tool.”

While not renewing the contract is a major win for Richmond residents, the Mayor has left the possibility of contracting with other mass surveillance companies for ALPRs an open question and left the cameras running until the contract’s end date.

Let’s make sure he hears us loud and clear. Demand the mayor remove ALPRs now and commit to protecting us from harmful mass surveillance.

For more information about mass surveillance and our stance, visit https://www.dsarichmond.org/initiative/block-flock.