The postmortem of Election Day will go on for some time, but one thing has become increasingly clear: Americans are sick of Flock Safety and other ALPR companies.
ALPR (automatic license plate reader) companies have been facing growing backlash, from privacy advocates and ordinary citizens alike. There have been countless instances of people being falsely accused, vehicles falsely towed, and police officers using the technology to stalk girlfriends and ex-wives.
According to Futurism, multiple ballots passed on Election Day restricting or outright banning the use of ALPRs. In other cases, bills and proposals to limit ALPRs never made the ballot because city councils already opted to take action against ALPR usage before it could even go to a vote.
Interestingly, politicians who failed to take a hard stance against ALPRs often found themselves out of a job, while at least one incumbent mayor, League City Mayor Nick Long, was able to get reelected on the promise that “if the vote is no…we will have the cameras bagged or disabled within 72 hours of the certification of the vote.”
This turn of events underscores the growing importance of privacy and how even ordinary, and sometimes non-technical, citizens are pushing back and demanding that their privacy be respected.
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