CHAMPAIGN —Faculty and students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign plan to review the school’s contracts with Flock and other companies providing automated license plate readers.
The University Senate called on the administration Monday to consult with its committees on those contracts in a nearly unanimous vote.
Student Senator Patrick Holt presented the idea and said the goal was greater transparency around artificial intelligence-enabled cameras.
“There’s not a lot publicly available besides that we have these contracts,” he said. “It’s a call mainly for greater transparency, using the Senate as a vehicle for that transparency.”
A handful other student and faculty senators spoke at Monday’s meeting in support of the resolution or to ask about specifics. After the discussion, 167 senators voted for the change and five voted no.
Reports of police using Flock cameras to track current or former romantic partners have prompted a national backlash. Illinois has also directed Flock to prevent immigration agents from accessing the data in violation of state law. Students at U of I have also been expressing concern about the technology in petitions and occasional vandalism.
U of I spokesperson Pat Wade said by email that the university has 20 license plate readers that only record license plates and vehicles, not faces, and that they are all Flock cameras. He said the license plate readers have been central to University of Illinois Police Department investigations into suicidal or missing persons, sexual assault, aggravated battery, and stolen vehicles.
“There is a legitimate expectation that the use of ALPR technology should be understandable to the campus community and that policies governing and safeguarding its use should be clearly explained, and UIPD plans to continue engaging in activities and discussions to promote transparency and safety,” Wade said.
U of I’s Flock Transparency Portal also says the university has prohibited using the cameras for harassment or immigration enforcement.