Libertarian Party of California to Hold Sacramento Rally Against Flock Surveillance

The Libertarian Party of California is holding a rally in Sacramento this month to oppose government surveillance, specifically the use of Flock cameras and other forms of automated license plate reading technology, an issue California Libertarians have increasingly opposed in recent months.

The party announced the rally Friday, saying it will take place October 18 at Old Sacramento State Historic Park. It will begin at noon and run through 3:00p PT. The party has said little else about the event, which it is calling the “Flock Off Rally,” or whether it will feature any guest speakers.

Flock’s ability to easily search and share vehicle data has attracted strong criticism from civil liberties advocates. The Libertarian National Committee formally condemned the warrantless use of Flock and other automated license plate readers earlier this summer, calling for movement data collected by law enforcement to require a targeted warrant based on probable cause.

State Libertarian affiliates in Arkansas, Connecticut, and Texas have also adopted resolutions opposing warrantless mass surveillance involving automated license plate readers

An internal San Francisco Police Department audit disclosed in June found that 299 improper searches of the department’s Flock network were conducted on behalf of federal and out-of-state agencies over a period of roughly a year. The Washington Post has also identified at least 69 police officials accused, charged, or convicted of misusing Flock and other license plate reader systems, including officers accused of tracking current or former romantic partners with the technology.

Flock announced additional safeguards in August in response to privacy concerns, including reducing its recommended default data retention period from 30 days to seven for new law enforcement customers while allowing existing agencies to retain their current policies. The company also said it would require case codes for searches and make its system for detecting unusual activity mandatory, with automatic lockouts when certain abnormal behavior is detected.

The Sacramento rally will not be the first recent event where California Libertarians have supported opposition to automated license plate readers. In August, the state party promoted the Freedom From Flock Fest, a Berkeley rally organized by Berkeley Against Mass Surveillance as part of a nationwide week of action, on its official events calendar. The Libertarian Party of San Francisco, one of its affiliates, meanwhile encouraged members to attend.