Next public meetingStudent Government SenateTuesday, October 13 · 5:30 p.m. · Galaxy RoomsSee the proposal ↗
DEFLOCK UTD

UTD and
Flock is
watching you

A campus should be a place to learn, gather, protest, worship, report, and organize without wondering who can trace your movements. We believe Flock has no place at UT Dallas. Remove the cameras. End the network. DeFlock UTD.

Sign the petition Read the demands

Make your opposition visible.

We are asking UT Dallas to remove Flock and reject replacement ALPRs. Add your name, share the petition, and tell university leaders that campus-wide tracking is not acceptable.

Safety cannot be a blank check for surveillance.

We should not have to trade privacy for a promise of safety. A tool that records ordinary travel and shares it beyond campus deserves more than quiet assurances. Our position is simple: take the cameras down.

Read our demands

A record of where we go can shape what we feel free to do.

I spoke with UTD PD and left unconvinced. When records of our movements can travel far beyond campus, safeguards at UTD cannot answer every question about where that data goes or who may use it. Students should not have to think twice before showing up for a protest, religious gathering, labor meeting, or controversial event. That is why I believe DeFlocking UTD is the only clear answer.

01UTD can search beyond campus. Flock portals list UTD PD among agencies granted access to camera data from Bedford ↗ and The Colony ↗. If a student’s car passes a participating off-campus camera, UTD PD can search that plate sighting. UTD PD also told me it shares its own data with 593 outside agencies, extending access to California. See UTD’s portal ↗
02What does “secure” mean? UTD PD described its data as secure and encrypted. Reporting by 404 Media and WIRED has raised serious questions about the security of Flock systems. Reassurance is not enough when our movements are at stake. Read the reporting ↗
03Is this worth the cost? UTD PD told me the cameras record about 30,000 plate scans each weekday and reported 66 alerts so far in 2026. Its transparency page lists 86,373 unique cars in a month. I question whether that justifies $32,500 a year. Check UTD’s monthly figures ↗ · Read my full letter ↗
04Search logs expose the failure of oversight. The Retrograde reviewed 24 UTD PD searches and found a reason in only 10. One search reason said the user wanted to check when an ex-boyfriend left campus. UTD’s system did not require a reason, and Flock did not verify the entries. Read the search-log reporting ↗

The figures and statements above are attributed to UTD PD and my conversations with its leadership. Read my full October letter ↗

Five steps to DeFlock UTD and protect campus privacy.

Read the full resolution ↗

I brought this resolution to Student Government because our campus deserves a say in surveillance that affects all of us. I presented it at the September 29 Senate meeting, but too many senators left for a vote. The Senate tabled it. I will bring it back on Tuesday, October 13, at 5:30 p.m. in the Galaxy Rooms. Come make your voice heard.

01Adopt an official position and remove Flock. Oppose continued use and call on UTD PD to remove every Flock ALPR camera from university property.
02Reject replacements, too. Oppose any other ALPR vendor or substantially similar vehicle-tracking system. The resolution states that switching providers would not resolve the underlying privacy, civil-liberties, free-expression, or shared-governance concerns.
03Give the Police Oversight Committee a clear mandate. Review the program’s effects, advocate for removal, and oppose future ALPR deployment regardless of vendor.
04Require public review and a written report. Put ALPR surveillance on the Committee’s next public meeting agenda, offer community testimony, and publish findings and recommendations.
05Protect shared governance and choose less invasive tools. Require meaningful consultation with Student Government, faculty, staff, and the university community before adopting surveillance technologies, and prioritize safety measures that do not rely on mass movement-data collection.

“I spoke to UTD PD. I’m not convinced.”

At the Senate meeting, I questioned UTD PD’s chief, captain, and Dr. Martin about what happens when our data leaves campus. They confirmed that UTD shares Flock information with 593 outside law-enforcement agencies, that UTD cannot control or enforce those agencies’ data policies, and that UTD has never directly audited them for misuse of student data. They said UTD will cooperate with ICE when required by law, including under Texas SB 4 and federal 287(g) agreements. Those agencies can share the information onward, extending this surveillance network across the country. UTD has no control over that chain.

Because too few senators remained to vote, the Senate tabled my resolution. I will present it again on October 13 at 5:30 p.m. in the Galaxy Rooms. Join me and speak against this system. Read my full meeting update ↗

Read the full letter ↗ Read The Retrograde’s August report ↗ Sign the petition ↗ View UTD PD’s sharing map ↗ My campaign launch on Reddit ↗ My Senate meeting update ↗ My 200-signature milestone ↗

Show up. Sign on. DeFlock UTD.

Sign the petition

Help DeFlock UTD.

Add your name to the student call asking UT Dallas to remove Flock cameras and reject replacement ALPR systems.

Sign the petition