Corona, CA — Corona residents are still left with questions and privacy concerns after an increasing number of Flock automated license plate readers (ALPRs) and drones have been quietly deployed throughout Corona.
Since March 2021, 62 Flock cameras- in which no council vote or required public comment was recorded- have been placed throughout the city. Their stated purpose: to track license plate information and to help first responders respond to emergencies more efficiently. However, an agreement between the City of Corona and Flock Safety has made it unclear to residents where and when the cameras will be placed, how long recorded information will be stored, and who is able to access the information.
Flock Safety, a private and AI-powered surveillance company, has recently been under nationwide scrutiny for its ambiguously stated data collection and sharing practices. Concerns have especially heightened following ICE crackdowns and mass protests, when federal agencies frequently accessed information within the Flock database…