GoKawiilAt least 10 US universities drop Flock license-plate camera contracts since April
Student-led campaigns at Stanford and other campuses pushed universities to end contracts with Flock Safety, maker of automated license plate reader cameras. Since April, at least ten schools in seven states—including Cornell, Penn State, Emory, Binghamton, Kent State and three University of Wisconsin campuses—have cancelled their Flock agreements, while the University of Buffalo paused a planned pilot. Some schools, including Appalachian State and two UNC campuses, kept their contracts but limited outside agencies' access to camera data after reports showed out-of-state police departments querying the systems extensively.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The wave of cancellations suggests growing unease on campuses about how license-plate data could be used beyond traffic or parking enforcement, including tracking of vulnerable individuals, according to student organizers like Stanford's Angela Nguyen. The Houston police department's heavy use of UNC Charlotte's camera network, revealed by local reporting, points to how such surveillance infrastructure can be accessed far beyond its original local purpose, raising questions about oversight and data-sharing agreements universities sign with third-party vendors.
- At least 10 US university campuses in seven states have ended Flock Safety license-plate camera contracts since April 2025.
- Student and faculty advocacy, as seen at Stanford, has driven several of these cancellations.
- Some schools that kept contracts, like UNC Charlotte, moved to restrict outside law-enforcement access after reports of extensive out-of-state data queries.
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Published there as: “US university students tell surveillance cameras to Flock off”
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