<div>  Birmingham has quietly become one of the most surveilled cities in

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<div>  Alabama. Nearly 1,000 license plate reading cameras now operate across the

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<div>   metro area, recording every vehicle that passes -- not just those

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<div>  suspected of a crime. The city approved $9.7 million to expand the

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<div>  network, but residents were never consulted and basic questions remain

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<div>  unanswered.

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<div><br />

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<div>  How is this data being used? Who has access to it? What safeguards exist

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<div>  to prevent misuse? Right now, we don't know -- because none of that

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<div>  information has been made public.

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<div><br />

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<div>  DeFlock Birmingham is a grassroots, all-volunteer effort working to roll

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<div>  back mass surveillance in our city and ensure that any public safety

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<div>  technology operates with real accountability. We built

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<div>  <a href="https://deflockbhm.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">DeFlockBHM</a>  to research the facts, educate residents, and

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<div>  organize a coalition that demands better from our city leaders.

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<div><br />

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<div>  We're not against public safety -- we believe effective policing and civil

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<div>   liberties aren't in conflict. But a system this large, this expensive,

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<div>  and this secretive needs to be challenged, not just reformed.

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<div><br />

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<div>  What we're calling for:

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<div><br />

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<div>  - Publish ALPR policies -- Alabama law requires them before cameras can

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<div>  even operate. Birmingham has published nothing.

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<div>  - Disclose data sharing -- Residents deserve to know whether their

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<div>  location data is accessible to federal agencies, including ICE and Border

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<div>  Patrol.

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<div>  - Independent security audit -- Researchers have documented 51 security

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<div>  vulnerabilities in Flock cameras. Birmingham should verify its own

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<div>  systems.

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<div>  - Civilian oversight -- An independent review board with real authority to

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<div>   audit usage and investigate complaints.

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<div>  - Community input before expansion -- No more cameras added without public

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<div>   hearings and genuine resident participation.

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<div>  - Reduce the footprint -- Other cities are canceling and scaling back.

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<div>  Birmingham should be evaluating whether this system belongs here at all.

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<div><br />

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<div>  What your support funds:

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<div><br />

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<div>  - Public records requests -- Filing fees and costs to obtain contracts,

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<div>  policies, and deployment records the city hasn't volunteered

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<div>  - Website and operations -- Keeping deflockbhm.com running as a free

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<div>  public resource

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<div>  - Community outreach and advertising -- Most people don't know this

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<div>  network exists. We need help getting the word out.

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<div>  - Design and creative work -- Professional materials that make complex

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<div>  surveillance issues clear and accessible

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<div><br />

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<div>  Why it matters:

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<div><br />

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<div>  Over 30 cities have already paused, scaled back, or ended their Flock

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<div>  camera contracts -- including Austin, Denver, Santa Cruz, and Cambridge.

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<div>  Amazon's Ring division cut ties with Flock after public backlash. The

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<div>  conversation is shifting nationally, and Birmingham residents deserve to

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<div>  be part of it.

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<div><br />

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<div>  This is a nonpartisan, civic issue. It's about making sure our city's

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<div>  approach to public safety reflects the values and input of the people who

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<div>  live here.

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<div><br />

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<div>  Every contribution helps us ask the questions Birmingham hasn't answered

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<div>  -- and push for the changes our community needs.

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<div><br />

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Just $504 to go!
Make an impact.

Taking on Flock Safety in Birmingham, Alabama

Just $504$ to go! Make an impact.

Taking on Flock Safety in Birmingham, Alabama

Just $504 to go!
Make an impact.