The Florida Department of Transportation has ordered all Flock cameras and other license plate readers to be shut down by law enforcement agencies.
A release from the department said that the “recent exponential increase” in plate-reading devices forced the agency to intervene in order to preserve Floridians’ “sovereignty and quality of life.”
‘It’s really none of the government’s damn business if you’re doing that.’
A nationwide campaign has arisen by citizens accusing Flock cameras of violating their privacy rights by tracking their movements.
Supporters of the camera network say the data is invaluable to law enforcement investigations and privacy concerns are overwrought.
Among those opposed to the cameras is Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who recently criticized the technology over privacy concerns.
“They claim that the companies aren’t going to misuse it, but no one’s watching that,” the governor said in Jacksonville on Monday. “And I know you can make some money selling cameras, but you really can make a lot of money if you can sell people’s data, and that’s what the legislature is going to need to address.”
He cited some examples in which the tech was abused and residents’ privacy was violated.
“We know there was an officer in Florida who was using the LPR data to track, like, an ex-girlfriend or something like that,” he added. “I don’t think we had really strong penalties at all for that type of misuse.”
The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office indicated in a statement responding to the order that it was already in the process of dismantling the cameras.
RELATED: FIVE police officers FIRED and charged after allegedly abusing Flock system
“Prior to this state directive, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office had already proactively initiated the removal of Flock ALPR cameras previously located along county-maintained rights-of-way,” read the sheriff’s office statement.
The removal did not apply to “approximately 20 privately owned and operated ALPR cameras” in the county, the statement added.
“You know, you want to get in your car, and you want to go to down to Buc-ee’s in Saint Augustine,” said DeSantis. “It’s really none of the government’s damn business if you’re doing that.”
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