EVIE SAFRAN, The Dominion Post; ‘This is not what I signed up for’: Flock cameras raise privacy concerns across West Virginia
"For Monongalia County residents Lathwell and Paige Reiring, concerns over Flock cameras have created an unlikely point of political common ground.
Lathwell identifies as politically conservative, while Reiring is a Mountain Party candidate for the West Virginia House of Delegates. Despite their political differences, both question how much information the government should be able to collect about people who have not been accused of a crime.
For Lathwell, the issue comes down to privacy.
"I don't like this at all," she said. "This is not what I signed up for."
Reiring's concerns center on the technology behind the cameras and the amount of data they can collect.
"For me, the issue is the automated aspect of ALPRs, automatic license plate readers, because a lot of these depend on AI-powered software and surveillance systems, which is where we get the harvesting of data," Reiring said.
Their concerns show how the debate surrounding Flock cameras does not fall neatly along traditional political lines. As the technology becomes more common in Monongalia County, residents from different sides of the political spectrum are raising similar questions about privacy, surveillance and the collection of their data.
As artificial intelligence becomes capable of doing tasks once left to people, Flock's automated license plate readers are doing the same for law enforcement - identifying vehicle information and making it searchable for officers.
The technology can speed up investigations. It also means information about ordinary drivers can be collected before they are suspected of a crime."
