A camera pointed at an apartment pool in Jacksonville, Fla., is raising new questions about how far surveillance technology is spreading.
For renters, the issue concerns whether ordinary life at home is increasingly becoming part of a camera network that law enforcement can access.
Here’s what to know
Flock camera installations matter because the sheriff’s office may be able to tap into cameras beyond the roughly 150 Flock devices it says it has in Duval County. As Jacksonville Today reported, a JSO spokesperson said the agency can access some privately owned cameras, though the office would not say which ones.
Flock says its national system of shareable footage contributes to solving 10% of reported crimes, Jacksonville Today reported, and the company says its network now spans 120,000 devices.
Opponents argue that growth on that scale has come faster than oversight, citing data leaks, power misuse and weak transparency as reasons some cities have reconsidered using the company.
According to Rory Safir, a criminal defense attorney in St. Petersburg, Fla., renters have few safeguards.
“There are statutes that govern Flock for public roads, but there are not for HOAs, condominiums, apartments,” he said, per Jacksonville Today. “If you’re an apartment tenant, you can’t opt out. It’s not like you even opted in.”
Safir went on to say that Flock cameras could track someone’s private movements, such as a visit to a lawyer or a therapist.
What can be done?
Jacksonville Today reported that some police departments that use Flock have public portals with audit logs and access permissions, but Jacksonville does not currently have one. Without that kind of public visibility, residents have little way of knowing who can view footage, when it can be viewed, or how long it is stored.
More specific local rules could also help protect people living in rental housing. Policies requiring disclosure of camera placement, limits on filming sensitive shared spaces, and clear explanations of whether landlords provide ongoing law enforcement access would give tenants a more meaningful role in how their homes are monitored.
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