Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Flock Surveillance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public commenter warns council of security, privacy risks in Flock license‑plate reader system
Summary
A public commenter criticized the city's purchase of Flock license‑plate readers, claiming researchers find the system insecure and urging the council to consult oversight bodies before further surveillance procurement.
A public commenter introduced as Terry Wang (speaker introduced by the clerk as 'Terry Wang') delivered a lengthy critique of the city's Flock license‑plate reader deployment, saying independent researchers found the system insecure and raising privacy and oversight concerns.
On the floor the speaker said Flock’s system is “astonishingly leaky,” that passwords were stored insecurely and firmware was outdated, and cited a recent Washington state court ruling that Flock records are public records. The speaker argued that a system that records tens of thousands of license plates daily is a broad surveillance dragnet that can document residents, officials, donors and staff, and urged council to consult the Cleveland Community Police Commission and take democratic guardrails before expanding or normalizing round‑the‑clock surveillance.
No formal administrative response is recorded in the meeting transcript. The comment was delivered during the public‑comment period and was followed by other speakers and the scheduled business of the meeting.
Next steps: the speaker urged council oversight and consultation with the Community Police Commission; the transcript does not record a direct response or policy action at this meeting.
