August 8, 2021

"Are you going to ban Flock cameras?"

I get this question a lot at the doors in District 23 — and this week, I got it in my inbox too, from a UD community member concerned about the growing number of Flock cameras around campus.

Here's my honest answer: I take the safety argument seriously. I also take seriously that these systems collect enormous amounts of location data on people who've done nothing wrong, often with almost no protection on who can access it or how it gets shared — sometimes without a warrant. Wilmington just pulled four Flock cameras offline because the city said it wasn't in control of how its data was being shared. That should tell you something.

While some opponents may go around shouting extremes that aren't a real-life answer that will actually pass into law, I look for honest, effective solutions that can be enacted to address the real problem. A statewide ban would face serious legal and political headwinds as a first move. What Delaware's legislature can do right now is regulate the data itself: require a warrant for access except in narrow emergencies, cap how long data is retained, block sharing with federal agencies like ICE without judicial authorization, and mandate real audit trails so misuse gets caught, not covered up.

That's not the flashiest answer. It's the one that actually protects people.