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19. November 2025
San Jose Under Fire For Widespread Surveillance Program
The city of San Jose, California has been embroiled in controversy over its widespread deployment of surveillance cameras, with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) suing the city to halt the practice. The lawsuit claims that nearly 500 Flock surveillance cameras create a pervasive database of residents’ movements, effectively rendering it impossible for individuals to avoid being tracked.
The lawsuit seeks to require police to obtain a warrant before searching Flock’s license plate system, arguing that this will help prevent abuses and ensure that the technology is used responsibly. The EFF and ACLU argue that San Jose’s Flock cameras are an invasive mass surveillance technology, collecting driver locations en masse without transparency or oversight.
At the heart of the controversy is Flock’s license plate-reading surveillance system, which uses cameras to capture images of license plates and then matches them against a national database. Critics argue that this justification is overly broad and ignores the fundamental right to privacy. The company claims that its technology helps law enforcement agencies to identify stolen vehicles, track fugitives, and prevent crimes.
According to data from the city, more than 2.6 million vehicles were tracked using Flock in October alone. This represents a significant increase from the 149 cameras in place at the end of 2023. The widespread deployment of these cameras has raised concerns about the potential for government agencies to monitor individuals’ movements without their knowledge or consent.
The lawsuit emphasizes the pervasiveness of Flock’s surveillance network, noting that anyone driving in San Jose is likely to have their license plates captured many times a day. This pervasive nature of the surveillance, combined with the lack of transparency and oversight, has led the ACLU and EFF to argue that warrantless searches of these cameras are a clear violation of the California constitution’s search and seizure clause.
The lawsuit also highlights the problematic nature of Flock’s national database. The company claims that its database is used only for legitimate law enforcement purposes, but critics have raised concerns about the potential for misuse. For example, some cities have reported using Flock’s data to identify individuals who are suspected of being undocumented immigrants, despite a lack of clear evidence.
In addition to the lawsuit filed in San Jose, the EFF and ACLU are also working on other cases challenging Flock’s practices across the country. These efforts have led to some notable reforms, including changes to the company’s data sharing policies and increased transparency around its surveillance practices.
The case in Norfolk, Virginia, which seeks to have the entire network shut down, highlights the scope of the problem posed by Flock’s surveillance technology. The city’s police department has been accused of using Flock’s data to track individuals who are suspected of being undocumented immigrants, despite a lack of clear evidence. This kind of abuse is precisely what the EFF and ACLU aim to prevent through their lawsuit in San Jose.
The widespread deployment of Flock’s surveillance cameras also raises questions about the role of local governments in regulating these technologies. As cities like San Jose continue to deploy more cameras, there is growing pressure on lawmakers to establish clear guidelines and regulations around the use of mass surveillance technology.
In recent years, several states have passed laws regulating the use of automated license plate readers (ALPRs) by state and local law enforcement agencies. However, these efforts have been met with resistance from some police departments, which argue that these technologies are essential tools for keeping communities safe.
As the debate over Flock’s surveillance technology continues to unfold, it is clear that there is a need for greater clarity and consistency around the regulation of mass surveillance technologies. The lawsuit filed in San Jose serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting individual privacy and ensuring that government agencies use these technologies responsibly.
The lawsuit also highlights the potential consequences of unchecked mass surveillance technology. If left unregulated, such technologies can lead to a culture of suspicion and mistrust, where individuals are constantly being monitored and profiled without their consent. This can have far-reaching implications for civil liberties and individual privacy.
In conclusion, the lawsuit filed by the ACLU and EFF against the city of San Jose is a significant development in the ongoing debate over mass surveillance technologies like Flock. By demanding that police obtain warrants before searching Flock’s license plate system, the EFF and ACLU hope to prevent abuses and ensure that this technology is used responsibly. As the debate over Flock’s surveillance technology continues to unfold, it is clear that there is a need for greater oversight and accountability when it comes to mass surveillance technologies like Flock.