SIGN THE PETITION
This mass surveillance system is a gross violation of your Fourth Amendment rights, and the object of numerous ongoing lawsuits. It is a threat to your privacy and safety, and a gift of your data to the growing surveillance state.
Many Companies Are Practicing Mass Surveillance:
Flock Safety, Motorola/Vigilant, Genetec, Leonardo/ELSAG, Neology, Axon, etc.
Deflock Tucson opposes all forms of mass surveillance by any manufacturer.
Mass Surveillance ≠ Public Safety
The University of Arizona has contracted with Flock Safety to install 62 Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) on and around campus. These AI-enhanced ALPRs scan your license plate and upload data about your vehicle and its movements to a national database that Flock markets and sells to government, police, immigration, customs enforcement agencies, homeowners associations, or literally anyone who pays for a subscription.
When you’re on and around campus, your data is captured. All visitors, students, staff, faculty, and community members are being tracked regardless of whether the driver is suspected of a crime. Your car’s make, model, color, and identifying features such as dents, roof racks, and bumper stickers are automatically entered as searchable data points made available to the police, ICE, border patrol, and others who have contracted with Flock Safety.
Flock’s cameras can be found throughout South Tucson, Oro Valley, and long State highways. Public records show Tucson intends to introduce a pilot program with Flock. But Flock is not the only mass surveillance company whose cameras can be found throughout Pima County. Motorola’s cameras can be found affixed to light poles in Marana and other parts of Tucson.
At the urging of Deflock Tucson, the City of South Tucson heard comments from its citizens and a Flock representative, who appeared by Zoom during the council meeting. Even after hearing the Flock rep’s explanations and answers to their questions, councilmembers remained concerned about the problems this type of mass surveillance presents. The council members voted to re-evaluate their contract with Flock.
Flock also has contracts with private companies. Check the entrances and exits of your local Lowe’s or Home Depot and you’ll find Flock’s ALPR cameras. Mall owner Simon Properties has also installed Flock cameras in its parking lots. All data gathered can be accessed by any other law enforcement agency, company, or person that has a Flock subscription.
Mass Surveillance Is About Data, Not Safety
Flock Safety and all other surveillance companies claim to prevent crime. In reality, there is no real-time intervention, no signs to inform the public of surveillance, and no other mention of these cameras by our leaders. Instead, these ALPRs exist to collect data and share that data to third-parties without your consent.
While these systems can be used to track stolen cars or search for people, they also create and save detailed information about the movements of every single person who passes by. Flock Safety data has been implicated in abuses including handcuffing a 12-year-old child due to a misread license plate, stalking police officers’ former partners, and tracking woman who had an abortion.
Flock Safety Makes You Less Safe
If you become the target of a stalker employed at a third-party agency using Flock Safety, are an immigrant being sought out by ICE, go out of state to seek an abortion, or if your license plate is simply misread by the ALPRs━you may end up on the “hot list,” facing detainment or worse.
When it comes to compromised data, consequences include legal and financial repercussions, reputational damage, and the erosion of trust. People often bear disproportionate risks under surveillance, including misuse of information, becoming vulnerable to data breaches, and unauthorized access to personal information.
So far, over 9.16 billion people have been impacted by data breach and 45% of Americans have had their personal information compromised by a data breach in the last five years. Flock Safety has already had a data breach, and your intimate details, including routine (time & location data) and vehicle information, were compromised and continue to be at risk.
Currently, agencies that boast ALPRs as a “safety measure” do not provide safeguards to protect the public from misuse of their data. Nor does this technology account for misread license plates, data errors, tampering, and manipulation. According to an estimate by an ALPR data aggregator, the cameras misread one out of 10 license plates. One inaccurate recording can lead to false claims, allegations and arrests.
Flock images are already being used in court to try to track and identify suspects. The image below was used in court the week of September 2, 2025.
Flock Safety’s contracts are bad for data privacy, worse for civil liberties, and the worst for public safety. This is mass surveillance, data exploitation, and data harvesting, not a public safety measure.
Sign the petition, make a call, and send an email to end mass surveillance in Pima County.
Our leaders must end their mass surveillance contracts . Now.
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