UT Tyler has contracted with Flock Safety since 2021 and currently has agreements extending through 2028, as the company’s automated license plate reader technology faces national scrutiny over privacy and data sharing concerns.
While Flock Safety claims the cameras are a way to track suspicious and illegal activity, privacy advocates and civil liberties organizations have accused the technology of forming mass surveillance networks, creating cross-jurisdictional abuse, and not protecting user data.
Flock Cameras on Campus
Talon Student Media asked UT Tyler and the UT Tyler Police Department about whether Flock cameras are installed on campus, where they are located, how the data is used, and if they share information gathered with outside agencies. Beverley Golden, Associate Vice President for Strategic Communications, did not answer any questions, instead referring the Talon to the Texas Public Information Act Process. The UTTPD did not respond to a request for comment.
Although University representatives did not initially provide information, financial documents obtained through open records requests provide insight as to how long UT Tyler has been using Flock and how much it has cost the university.
In 2021, the UT Health Science Center, now called the UT Health North Campus and part of UT Tyler, purchased two Flock Falcon cameras for $2,500 each and paid a $500 implementation fee. In 2024, the university paid $25,000 for Flock cameras and software to be paid $5,000 annually. In January of this year, the university made a $6,000 purchase for cameras for “off-site housing.”
Additionally, an amendment between the UTTPD and Flock extended an agreement from 2023 until 2028.
A recent Instagram post brought new attention to the cameras, receiving nearly 2,000 likes. The account called “DeFlockTyler” is connected with the grassroots community “DeFlock” movement. The effort attempts to document and resist installation of Flock Safety Cameras. The post asked students “How do you feel about this dynamic surveillance network watching, analyzing, and tracking you?” The account also links to an online map which tracks the locations of the cameras as well as a petition for the Smith County Commissioner’s office to stop accepting Flock contracts.
What is Flock?
Flock is a law enforcement technology company that specializes in software platforms that use license plate readers, video, audio detection software, and drones to help clients address safety concerns.
An automated License Plate Reader (LPR) is a camera system which uses “AI-Powered software” to convert License plates into “searchable data,” for users according to Flock’s website. Flock advertises LPRs as a way for law enforcement, businesses, and communities to respond faster to suspicious and illegal activity.
The system captures a car’s make, model, color, and exact location. It also keeps track of unique individual identifying features like stickers, windows, toolboxes, and roof racks.
The Flock website states that LPR’s do not capture biometric data or faces. The company insists LPR only tracks License plates and vehicle characteristics.
NPR reported that college towns like Flagstaff, Arizona; Cambridge, Massachusetts; Eugene, Oregon; and Santa Cruz, California have already canceled contracts with Flock Safety over fears of mass surveillance and potential data use by ICE.
Data Safety Concerns
Civil liberty organizations and grassroots community groups have accused the company of sharing data with Immigration enforcement and creating a mass surveillance system.
Journalists and researchers have still found that Police Departments have been accessing the networks on behalf of Federal agencies. Smith County has 32 trained police officers who are able to take individuals into ICE custody and receive financial reimbursement from ICE for immigration enforcement-related activity.
CalMatters found California police officers illegally sharing license plate information with ICE. Analysts at The University of Washington found that Washington law enforcement agencies enabled direct data sharing with border control in 2025.
In 2025, 9News revealed that Flock had created a pilot program with US Customs and Border Protection, including Border Patrol. Shortly after the revelation, the company put out a statement saying federal agencies would no longer have access to nationwide or statewide lookup networks.
Flock Chief Legal Officer Dan Haley refuted the claim that federal agencies may have a “secret backdoor” to customer data. He added that 30 courts at the state and federal levels have ruled that LPRs do not violate the Fourth Amendment right to privacy.
Data Sharing
According to its website, Flock Safety says it deletes data within 30 days of collection, but adds this can be adjusted to local regulations and preferences.
Police departments that contract Flock can choose to share data with specific departments, all in-state departments, or throughout a nationwide network. Data sharing is mutual, meaning departments are incentivised to share with more departments to gain greater access to the nationwide system.
Additionally, The Guardian reported that Security experts and hackers discovered that some Flock Condor Cameras were streaming to the open internet. The same group found that some LPRs can be accessed through an Android system diagnostic tool.
Flock’s website says that data is fully owned by the customer and that Flock does not control how clients share the information.
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