Lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) have filed a lawsuit against the city of San Jose, California, over its deployment of Flock’s license plate-reading surveillance cameras. The legal action alleges that the city’s nearly 500 cameras have created a pervasive surveillance network that captures detailed records of residents’ movements, which the plaintiffs argue violates California’s constitutional privacy protections.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Services, Immigrant Rights & Education Network and Council on American-Islamic Relations, California, and claims that the surveillance is a violation of California’s constitution and its privacy laws. The lawsuit seeks to require police to obtain a warrant before accessing Flock’s license plate system. The case is one of the highest profile legal challenges against Flock, with a similar lawsuit in Norfolk, Virginia, also seeking to shut down the company’s network in that city.
“San Jose’s ALPR [automatic license plate reader] program stands apart in its invasiveness,” ACLU of Northern California and EFF lawyers wrote in the lawsuit. “While many California agencies run ALPR systems, few retain the locations of drivers for an entire year like San Jose. Further, it is difficult for most residents of San Jose to get to work, pick up their kids, or obtain medical care without driving, and the City has blanketed its roads with nearly 500 ALPRs.”
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