Flock Cameras Draw Attention on Campus

Is Flock invading our campus? A Flock surveillance camera has recently been installed outside Ohio Wesleyan University’s senior apartments, prompting questions among students and faculty about privacy, safety and how the technology may be used.

For some students, the camera has become noticeable while they are walking or driving around campus. Max Fossaceca, a senior political science major, said he first noticed the camera while walking near the senior apartments.

When asked whether he knew of Flock cameras in the area, Fossaceca said, “Yes, there’s one by the senior apartments.” He said the presence of the camera made him feel “uncomfortable.”

Other students have also noticed Flock cameras in and around Delaware. Colby Sprague, a junior, said he was aware of several cameras, including one near the senior apartments. He has also seen cameras while running toward Grady Memorial Hospital and past Selby near the baseball fields.

Sprague expressed concerns about the surveillance technology and the information it collects. “That’s weird,” he said, adding that he gets nervous when driving because he is concerned about what happens to the information collected by the cameras, including the use of facial recognition.

Faculty members have also raised questions about the cameras. Dr. Brianna Mack, who teaches politics and government, said she first heard about the camera outside the senior apartments from another student. 

Mack said concerns about surveillance can be influenced by previous experiences with data tracking through social media platforms such as Facebook. She acknowledged that some of her own concerns, as well as many others about Flock, may be connected to a general “distrust of law enforcement.”

At the same time, Mack said there could be legitimate reasons for installing the cameras. She suggested that the cameras may have been placed in response to local drivers hitting students in the past, potentially helping prevent injuries. 

However, she also questioned what could happen if the information collected by the cameras was leaked or misused. Mack said data involving staff members could potentially be “used in a negative light” or “used to police the wrong type of behaviors.”

The number of Flock cameras also varies among nearby colleges. Mack noted that Otterbein University has one Flock camera, while Denison University has five or six.

As Flock cameras become more visible around Delaware and the campus, students and faculty are left weighing the potential benefits of increased safety against concerns surrounding privacy, data collection and facial recognition.

For students like Fossaceca and Sprague, the new camera has already sparked conversations about how much surveillance is appropriate on a college campus.