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Flock Safety in Norfolk, VA

Link to petition Norfolk City Council to add a referendum allowing Norfolk residents to vote on the use of Flock cameras for law enforcement surveillance: openpetition.org/wylbm

My name is Melissa Corrigan. I'm a mom, Navy veteran, and resident of Norfolk, Virginia. 

When Flock cameras appeared practically overnight throughout Norfolk, I took notice immediately. I then began what has become a two-year journey of investigating and researching what the cameras are (not just license plate readers), where they transmitted our data and to whom, how this aligned with Constitutional protections, and how aware our City Council was of Flock's full capabilities when they authorized their use.

I requested my own data and was utterly shocked- 109 touch points in only 3 days, complete with GPS coordinates and detailed descriptions of my vehicle down to the window stickers. This volume of hi-res photos also demands storage space of upwards of 10 Tb every 21 days, and that is the kind of data storage demand that leads to the construction of data centers.

If you were like me, you grew up under the vestiges of the Cold War. We were warned of the extensive mass surveillance networks in the USSR and China that prohibited personal liberties and freedoms with undue, invasive surveillance. Our Fourth Amendment protects our personal freedoms from invasive and undue warrantless surveillance, and I hold these freedoms and liberties dear. 

It wasn't OK when it was USSR and China, and it's not OK when it's the USA.

Here's a link to an article I wrote about Flock, and below are some Action Items that you can engage in to help me encourage Norfolk City Council to add a referendum to allow our residents to vote on the use of Flock mass surveillance equipment and data-sharing dashboards.

That's my  take on it. After many discussions with my fellow Norfolk residents, I think the best way forward is to put it to a vote. The democratic way.

Link to the petition: openpetition.org/wylbm

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