A candidate running for the Yavapai College District governing board on a “shoestring budget” found a way to bring some attention to his campaign and address an issue that concerns him.
Ryan Jones installed about 70 signs around Prescott reading “Flock cam here, Private AI cams tracking you.” The signs are next to Flock automated license plate reader cameras, which have become a controversial issue nationwide as concerns about privacy and surveillance have become common.
Many metro Phoenix cities have opted to end their contracts with Flock because of public opposition to the cameras.
Jones said the existence of the cameras is an important issue, and residents were not given any notice when the cameras were installed.
“It’s surveillance of everyone
without their consent,” he said.
Jones installed the first Flock signs Oct. 8, and within a couple of days he received an email from Prescott telling him they needed to come down. He said he does not plan to remove the signs and said that because the signs have his campaign information on them, they should be treated as political signs and allowed to remain until 15 days after the election.
While the community college governing board has no jurisdiction over Flock, Jones said “one day” he might run for city council or another position that would have more influence in that area. But the signs have gotten attention from people around the world, including some who have donated to his campaign and some Yavapai College students who have volunteered on the campaign.
Owen Everhart, a student at Yavapai College, got involved with Jones' campaign after seeing the Flock signs.
Everhart said he is personally concerned about the constant surveillance that Flock provides to police and government entities, but also said he supports the campaign because of Jones' experience working at Yavapai College. Jones has worked as an economist at Yavapai College before, giving him hands-on experience that Everhart said he valued.
Everhart said he has never worked on a campaign before, but has been interested in politics and intends to work on Jones' campaign through the election.
“It’s important to everyone to safeguard their privacy,” Jones said.
He said he worries that the surveillance that comes with Flock will lead to more government control over citizens. People consent to using smartphones with apps that mine data, but they do not consent to Flock cameras, he said.
“We didn’t consent to a mass surveillance network that is watching us wherever we go,” he said.
Corina Vanek covers development for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at cvanek@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X @CorinaVanek.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AZ college board candidate uses signs pointing out Flock cameras
