US Edition
San Jose Residents Sue over City's Automated License Plate Reader Network, Citing Mass Surveillance Concerns
The suit says nearly 500 cameras and searchable databases let police track vehicles across California and collect millions of searches.
- Three San Jose residents filed a federal class action lawsuit against the city and police department, arguing that 474 Flock Safety cameras violate the Fourth Amendment by subjecting citizens to nonstop warrantless surveillance.
- The San Jose Police Department's 474 cameras detected almost 2.8 million vehicles within 30 days, while audit logs revealed 2.5 million database searches in late 2025—approximately 13,500 daily searches by government employees across California.
- Plaintiff Tony Tan, a software engineer, stated he would not want the system "ready for ICE, or other federal agencies, to abuse," citing concerns about being tracked every time he leaves home.
- City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood defended the program, stating police follow "robust, transparent policies in place to ensure that the information is not misused" and emphasizing cameras are vital for solving crimes.
- The Institute for Justice aims to drive the case to the Supreme Court for a binding national ruling, while a Flock spokesperson contended that courts have "repeatedly found that using Flock devices is constitutional.
14 Articles
14 Articles
San Jose residents sue over city's automated license plate reader network, citing mass surveillance concerns
Three San Jose residents filed a class-action lawsuit against the city over its network of ALPR cameras, alleging that the program violates their constitutional rights.
San Jose suit calls for automated license plate reader data to be deleted faster
Three San Jose residents have filed a federal class-action lawsuit against the city, challenging the use and data retention policies of its widespread license plate reader camera system.
Federal class-action lawsuit filed over Flock cameras in San Jose
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) -- Flock cameras are continuing to cause concern among drivers. In San Jose, three residents are filing a federal class-action lawsuit over the city’s Flock Safety cameras on public streets. Watch the full report from KRON4's Amanda Hari in the video player above. Flock Safety has become a controversial company that uses AI to track vehicle movements. “Every day, San Jose is violating the rights of its residents, and this…
Hanford Sentinel
Residents sue San Jose in federal court over automated license-plate reader cameras
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Three San Jose residents backed by a national justice nonprofit have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the city’s vast network of automated license-plate reader cameras violate the Constitution by subjecting citizens to nonstop warrantless surveillance.…
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