CBP is scanning your license plate and tracking your movements. One company, Flock, is helping them do it.
Lawmakers
A bombshell report from 404 Media just revealed that Customs and Border Patrol has had nearly unfettered access to more than 80,000 AI-powered cameras that scan vehicle license plates.
These cameras, owned by the private surveillance company Flock, exist in thousands of communities across the US and allow cops and federal agents to trace the movements of anyone who drives a car.
Flock’s surveillance network has already been tapped by law enforcement in Texas to hunt down women who self-administered abortions, and by ICE agents to track immigrants and fuel the Trump administration’s unconstitutional mass deportation machine.
The recent revelations that CBP has secretly had access to these cameras for months—in violation of multiple state laws––is no surprise, and shows how far the government’s dragnet surveillance programs are expanding.
We need immediate action from lawmakers on the city, state, and federal levels––not just to address CBP’s illegal access of this surveillance network, but to ban automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) outright. ALPRs are invasive, creepy, and will always be abused by those in power. We demand lawmakers ban them from our communities immediately (or: cut all contracts with ALPR companies).
Sponsored by
To:
Lawmakers
From:
[Your Name]
Don’t let DHS scan my license plate! I’m calling on my elected officials to investigate Flock for lying about who has access to its camera networks, and to end all contracts with surveillance companies helping CBP and ICE violate human rights (alternatively: to ban all mass surveillance tools, like ALPRs, that help (or could help) CBP and ICE violate human rights).