Residents urge council not to renew Flock surveillance contract, cite privacy risks

Multiple speakers during the public comment period urged City Council to decline renewal of the city’s contract with Flock, the vendor that operates automated vehicle-location and license-plate recognition cameras. Speakers raised privacy, data-sharing and equity concerns and asked the council to prioritize immigrant and reproductive-health protections when deciding whether to continue using the technology.

Alicia Lenahan told council the contract raises a risk to immigrants and refugees, and she cited news reporting and procurement language she said showed federal agencies and contractors could expand surveillance. "With the acquisition of signal licenses, ICE intends to further expand its social media surveillance capabilities," Lenahan said, and she urged the city to take a principled stand.

Isis Newman described a case reported in the news where a Denver resident was accused of theft based on circumstantial evidence from Flock cameras; the woman’s summons was dropped only after she provided additional proof of innocence. "What about the people who don't have piles [of] evidence to support their innocence?" Newman asked. She said the city’s Flock transparency portal describes "success stories" that included sharing Charlottesville-derived data with other jurisdictions, and she warned that data could be used by agencies that collaborate with ICE or prosecute reproductive-health–related crimes.

Public commenters said recent contract language limiting retention and departmental access does not fully prevent sharing and expressed concern that records are no longer accessible under the state's Freedom of Information Act as the city’s arrangement with Flock has changed visibility of records.

Council did not take immediate action on the contract at the meeting. Several public speakers asked council to place a non-renewal measure on a future agenda when the contract comes up for renewal.