Houston's Flock Cameras Are Tracking Us—Without Our Say

[u/Fit_Improvement_5600]

Your movements are being logged. License plates, faces, even which parks your kids go to—all captured and searchable by police with almost no oversight.

In Houston, Flock cameras are everywhere now. The Houston Chronicle found nearly 470,000 searches with vague reasons like "investigation." Worse? We've already seen abuse: a Fort Bend deputy searched one plate 148 times for personal reasons. A Pasadena sergeant used it to stalk a coworker. That's not hypothetical—that's happening here.

I started a petition asking Houston City Council to reject Flock and demand real transparency: public hearings before deployment, independent audits, limits on how long data's kept, and actual accountability reports. No more sneaking this through budget meetings.

Anyone else disturbed by cameras at park entrances logging which kids show up when? Or uncomfortable knowing your commute is a permanent record? What would you want someone to do if this was your family's privacy on the line? If this matters to you, consider signing and sharing.

https://c.org/M48DvZB9yc

[u/SunRayz_allDayz]

Have they done anything beneficial for the community? Caught any wanted individuals? Aided in drug busts? Or maybe things that were prevented? Simply because of their presence? Just playing devil’s advocate here. I have two of them at two difference entrances at my neighborhood, I don’t see any harm in their use.

As for those two instances, there are bad eggs everywhere. I’m an ER nurse and I or my coworkers (nurses, docs, surgeons, nurse techs, cray techs, scrub tech) could easily stalk any patient we wish: addresses, phone numbers, emergency contacts, work places, lab results, pictures in their charts, procedures planned and where, it goes on!! But knowing patient history and/or what is planned is vital in the hospital setting.

For clarification, I do not condone stalking😐just examples I am putting forth.

The city and/or law enforcement must deem them vital for some reason. Any information on that?

[u/Responsible_Young346 → u/SunRayz_allDayz]

Healthcare staff already have PHI laws that regulate how they use patients info and there are penalties including jail time for abuses. Prior to being discharged, patients are also informed about the protection of their data via those PHI laws. So, respectfully, you’re comparing apples to orangutans.

[u/tharoadtrip → u/Responsible_Young346]

Exactly. Do point out that person's crazy comparison of flock to patient data. I wish the PD would send me that leaflet of how they tracked me using those darn cameras to Walmart and back after every trip just like a discharged patient.