More Americans oppose police license plate cameras than support them: survey
A new YouGov survey indicates that a plurality of Americans now oppose the use of police license plate surveillance cameras. This shift in public opinion follows privacy concerns and reports of misuse by law enforcement.
Why it matters
The growing public resistance to surveillance technology highlights a critical tension between public safety initiatives and individual civil liberties.
The growing backlash against surveillance companies like Flock may have reached a tipping point. A new survey has found that more Americans oppose these surveillance cameras than support it.
According to a new YouGov survey of 20,000 people across the U.S. that was shared exclusively with The Washington Post , 46% of respondents opposed the company’s surveillance cameras in their communities, while 38% supported them. This is a reversal from last year, when the majority of survey respondents said they were in favor.
Flock is one of the more visible surveillance companies, operating more than 120,000 license plate readers across the U.S. that can track the whereabouts of vehicles. The company has been embroiled in controversy following reports of police abusing the cameras’ surveillance , which resulted in dozens of U.S. communities rejecting Flock’s cameras or cancelling their contracts amid privacy concerns.
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