Flock cameras become targets of a national protest movement

Flock Safety’s automated license plate readers are becoming targets of a growing protest movement. Across the US, vigilantes are smashing, obstructing and cutting down the cameras, while privacy advocates pursue contract cancellations, legal limits and public-records campaigns.

One of them is “NoMark,” a Minneapolis-based Instagram figure with more than 700,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok. He told the Guardian, anonymously, that he has disabled more than a dozen Flock cameras. During his first attempt, he waited near a camera mounted on a pole, covered its lens with tape, cut its power wires and fled.

“I’m not afraid to do things if I think they’re right. These things are coming up so fast across the country that this is kind of the only way to combat them.”

A Flock ALPR in Boulder, Colorado, on 5 March 2026. Photograph: Matthew Jonas/Boulder Daily Camera/MediaNews Group/Getty Images

Flock cameras and the backlash

Flock, a Georgia-based company valued at $8.4 billion, says its cameras scan license plates billions of times each month in about 6,000 communities across nearly every US state. The cameras photograph passing vehicles and compare details against large databases.

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Privacy critics argue that the system can enable law enforcement to track vehicles and infer people’s movements without a warrant. Flock said in a February blog post that its ALPRs are “not mass surveillance tools” and that it “cannot track vehicles, much less individual people.” The company advertises alerts that can help officers act when a suspect vehicle passes a camera.

The Guardian identified at least 33 incidents across 23 states involving people who damaged, vandalized or destroyed Flock cameras in apparent protests against surveillance. Tactics have included paint, flags, obstructing objects and messages left at damaged sites.

Some activists have faced criminal charges. Jeffrey Sovern in Suffolk, Virginia, was charged with destruction of property after allegedly damaging more than a dozen cameras. In New Mexico, Jevon Martinez was arrested after allegedly destroying 13 Flock cameras.

“Absolutely. They are a clear and present threat to public safety.”

A vandalized Flock camera in Houston, Texas, on 7 July 2026. Photograph: Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers/Getty Images

Flock did not comment directly on the vandalism. In a mid-July blog post, however, it said it had planned for damaged cameras and was offering protection plans for government agencies.

Law enforcement agencies are also monitoring the movement. Dozens of state fusion centers circulated summer memos directing agencies to watch anti-Flock advocacy and report ALPR vandalism, disruption or sabotage. One Wisconsin intelligence report called for increased patrols during protests and events including a “national week of action” in mid-August.

Policy campaigns and surveillance concerns

Online sympathy has often favored the protesters. Commenters have posted fabricated alibis for people accused of damaging cameras, while Reddit users have exchanged designs for objects intended to obstruct cameras without damaging them.

NoMark told the Guardian that he receives dozens of messages each day from people describing similar actions or asking for advice. He said he keeps his responses vague because he does not want to contribute to arrests.

Activists are also pursuing official channels. More than 80 cities have disbanded, rejected or declined to renew Flock contracts, deactivated cameras, or taken similar action. The list includes Austin and Denver, although activists remain concerned about continued use in those areas.

Privacy advocates are particularly worried that legal loopholes could allow US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to access camera feeds when pursuing immigrants. Police officers have also lost their jobs after allegedly using the systems to stalk people. Beyond license plates, 404 Media reported that officers have searched for people based on visible characteristics such as tattoos and specific T-shirts.

A Texas lawmaker introduced a bill earlier this month that would require warrants for data collected by Flock cameras. The grassroots group DeFlock maintains a crowdsourced map showing more than 115,000 ALPRs nationwide and provides information about searches, contracts and public meetings.

Flock CEO Garrett Langley previously called DeFlock’s advocacy “terroristic” before apologizing. He later attributed the group’s popularity to the company’s “inadequate response” to public concerns. Flock has since canceled its always-on “human distress detection” recording feature, which was designed to detect screaming.

A DeFlock chapter in Norfolk, Virginia, says it does not endorse attacks on cameras but does not campaign against them. Its members are trying to block or end the city’s Flock contract, while objecting to limits on public comments at city council meetings.

“We recognize it’s the inevitable outcome of a system designed to prevent people’s voices from being heard.”

Update, 14 September 2026 — Columbus pauses use after alleged access abuse

TechRadar reports that Columbus, Ohio, has paused its use of Flock cameras after firing an officer who allegedly searched one license plate 272 times without sufficient justification. Mayor Andrew Ginther said the pause would remain until the city determined whether the conduct was isolated or more widespread.

Citing a USA Today investigation, the report says at least 22 officers have been arrested, fired, put on leave or placed under investigation over alleged abuse of Flock access; that total includes at least three arrests and one firing. A Reuters/Ipsos survey of 1,167 US adults found 47% opposed Flock cameras in their communities, compared with 38% in favor and 16% unsure. President Donald Trump said aboard Air Force One that he supported the cameras for law-enforcement use while acknowledging that some view them as an infringement.

Update, 28 September 2026 — DeFlock America group passes 820,000 members

Mashable reports that Garrett Langley did not appear at a Senate Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism hearing last week, where people testified about alleged flaws in Flock’s systems. The CEO instead sent a letter, according to the report.

The outlet also says the DeFlock America Facebook group passed 820,000 members over the weekend. Mashable described online efforts to circulate Langley’s personal information, including a purported address, but said the reported address listing had not been verified.

Update, 9 October 2026 — Flock offers voluntary exits to cut 18% of staff

TechCrunch reports, citing Reuters, that Flock is reducing its workforce by 18%, or about 270 employees, through a voluntary buyout program. Reuters said employees participating in the program will leave at the end of October.

Flock spokesperson Paris Lewbel told TechCrunch the company had offered current employees a voluntary separation program as it prepares for its next phase of growth. Lewbel said it was not a layoff and declined to comment on whether CEO Garrett Langley or other executives had taken pay cuts.

Update, 14 October 2026 — Flock says it has not dropped any police customers

TechCrunch reports that Flock CEO Garrett Langley said the company has not, to date, ended its relationship with any police department or other law-enforcement customer over misuse of its systems.

Speaking at the Disrupt 2026 conference, Langley said Flock would terminate a customer that knowingly broke the law, and that ending a relationship remained possible in a case involving what he called a drastic law-abiding issue. He said the harder internal question was how to respond when abuse involved a small number of officers at an agency, rather than widespread misconduct.