The university has placed 17 Flock cameras across its campuses, with 15 located in Denton and two in Frisco since January 2023. These cameras are intended to assist law enforcement investigations, but their presence has ignited a debate about privacy and surveillance.
Students have voiced concerns about the cameras, with some questioning their necessity. Iliana Del Toro, who leads the university's Youth Democratic Socialists of America chapter, noted that the cameras create a sense of being monitored and unsafe.
Flock cameras operate as automated license plate readers, utilizing artificial intelligence to gather and analyze vehicle data, but the university has stated that they do not link to databases that identify individuals. Strict auditing measures are in place for access to the data by the university police department.
Recent reports, including one from The Washington Post, have intensified worries about the ethical implications of such technology. Sage Dunn, a sophomore in media arts, raised alarms about the potential for a surveillance state. While Denton has a transparency portal for Flock camera usage, the university lacks similar public access. The American Civil Liberties Union has criticized these cameras as invasive, citing Fourth Amendment concerns.
In response to public sentiment, some counties have started to act against Flock, such as Hood County, where officials have removed and covered the cameras. Del Toro emphasized previous instances where Flock cameras were utilized by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, further fueling opposition to their use on campus. Approximately 61 Flock cameras are reported to be in Denton, with many belonging to private entities.
