- Stockton approved $3.15 investment in Flock drones
- Drones will serve as airborne first responders
- Residents raised privacy and surveillance concerns
Surveillance and privacy are currently big concerns for individuals around the world, and civic leaders in the California city of Stockton are the latest to draw criticism for a controversial drone expansion program that is ostensibly undertaken in the interest of public safety.
As Stocktonia reports, the city council recently approved a $3.15 million investment in drones made by Flock, in addition to the automatic license readers the company already provides. These drones can act as airborne first responders, allowing police to monitor a 911 call situation in as little as 30 seconds.
The sales pitch is that officers will be better informed upon arrival and that some incidents can be handled remotely. “This is really going to enhance what we already have, in that we’ll get rapid deployments and real-time updates for officers on scene,” Police Lt. David Padula said when the deal was approved.
However, even though city leaders all welcomed the drone program, public opinion was overwhelmingly opposed to it. Issues related to privacy, immigration enforcement and mass surveillance have been raised by residents – not only regarding how drones are used, but also how the data they collect is stored and shared.
These drones are not widely used in the United States, but there are active programs in some state cities, including Texas, Indiana, and Connecticut. License plate readers are much more common, with more than 100,000 in use today.
Data collection and confidentiality
“This sends the wrong message,” local activist group The Stockton Community Check-In Booth said in a statement after the council’s decision. “As our residents continue to struggle with the financial impacts of this administration and this economy, Stockton continues to invest in militarization and surveillance.”
“Private organizations can control your data from these Flock cameras, and because they’re private, you can’t even use freedom of information to find out what they have on you,” said Stockton Republican congressional candidate John McBride, calling the use of drones “a total invasion of privacy.”
According to Flock, local agencies remain in control of the data. It says it doesn’t work with ICE and federal agencies can’t discover or request data held by Stockton. Drone flights are recorded on a publicly accessible dashboard and Stockton police will own 100% of the data they collect.
However, Flock has run into problems elsewhere: He was previously found to share access with U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Colorado and Illinois, although he says those practices have now been stopped. In Texas, police used a network of Flock cameras to track the movements of a woman who had an abortion.
In other areas, authorities have not been as welcoming to Flock and its systems. In Mountain View, California, a network of Flock cameras was recently abandoned due to concerns about unauthorized access.
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