As someone who takes privacy and the 4th Amendment seriously, I have grave misgivings about the surveillance contract Lynnwood has with Flock. In what LPD claims was a misconfiguration, they exposed this surveillance database to outside agencies, which used it for immigration-related searches. This is contrary to explicit promises made to the Lynnwood City Council. As a Systems Engineer, I find this excuse highly concerning. A ‘checkbox error’ that violates state law and civil rights isn’t a glitch; it’s a failure of governance and architecture.
Read all about it here.
UPDATE: 11/10: Council voted to pause Flock, adding a layer of stoppage on top of LPD’s temporary pause.
Make your voice heard! Public comment at City Council Monday 12/08