Public Support Slumps for License Plate Surveillance

Public opinion has shifted against the deployment of police license plate cameras, according to reporting from TechCrunch. A YouGov survey of 20,000 U.S. residents, which was shared exclusively with The Washington Post, reveals that 46% of respondents now oppose the presence of surveillance cameras from the company Flock in their communities, while 38% support them.

This represents a reversal from the previous year, when a majority of survey participants favored the technology. According to TechCrunch, Flock currently operates more than 120,000 license plate readers across the United States to track vehicle locations. The company has faced significant controversy following reports that police abused the surveillance system, leading several dozen U.S. communities to cancel contracts or reject the cameras due to privacy concerns. Additionally, the survey found that more respondents felt the surveillance would not increase their personal safety.

In response to the backlash and a rise in vandalism targeting its hardware, Flock CEO Garrett Langley recently called for a "compromise" between privacy and surveillance. While Flock told TechCrunch that there is wide support for its technology—though it admitted such support is not "unconditional"—and highlighted new safeguards, the ACLU argues these measures are insufficient and that the company continues to pose a major threat to civil liberties.