Target: Andy Biggs, Chair of U.S. House Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance
Goal: Restrict automated license plate readers and cameras implicated in several misuses and abuses.
Drivers innocent of any crime have reportedly been pulled over at gunpoint by police. Documented cases involving law enforcement stalking community members have risen. And across the nation, millions of drivers are being surveilled without a warrant every day. These are the widespread effects of Flock cameras, an insidious technology that has crept into nearly every state.
Initially marketed as tools for crime prevention and safety, the cameras (which number at 120,000 nationwide) have become a flashpoint at town halls in states running the spectrum from Massachusetts to Florida. Dozens of localities have introduced restrictions on the controversial technology. Big city Boston recently ended a trial run that reportedly resulted in a massive security lapse wherein serious data breaches apparently resulted. Compounding the safety concerns and the potential abuse and misuse of the technology are concerning glitches that allegedly led to errors in the camera’s data documentation in at least one of every ten cases.
And despite its pervasive presence, this mass surveillance ecosystem has never been approved by Congress. Sign the petition below to demand the people’s representatives take up an issue that has caused an uprising among the people.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Representative Biggs,
Tens of thousands of vehicles surveilled, and millions of warrantless surveillance images generated: this is what hackers discovered in just one Flock license plate reader camera over a three-week period. Multiply this by the 120,000-plus cameras across 6,000 communities, and you have one of the largest and — until recently — one of the most covert mass surveillance operations in American history. The consequences have been immediate, in the form of false arrests, new stalking weaponry, and privacy invasions by the million. A town hall attendee most plainly encapsulated the pleas and the frustrations of Americans across the nation: “I don’t want to be surveilled.”
The NO FLOCK Act is a necessary step toward assuaging fears and reining in a technology that threatens to run amok. This bill would severely limit the use of Flock camera technology to issues where it has proven beneficial, such as locating missing persons or stolen vehicles. Support this effort, but do not let its aims be the end of the discussion. Listen to the many civil liberties concerns that remain unaddressed and work across the aisle (as this issue has united people of all political stripes) for a comprehensive legislative plan of regulation and enforcement that will demonstrate your commitment to protecting the rights and the privacy of all Americans.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: MiracleMiles
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