Influencers are urging Home Depot and Lowe's to drop Flock

A group of online creators with a combined 46 million followers is demanding that Home Depot and Lowe's end their contracts with Flock Safety, the license plate recognition company, per Business Insider.

The campaign targets the two largest home-improvement retailers in the U.S. over their use of Flock's automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) for parking lot surveillance. The influencers, who collectively reach tens of millions of followers across social media platforms, are framing the push as a privacy rights issue tied to the growing scrutiny of mass surveillance technology in retail environments.

Flock Safety has faced mounting criticism over the past year as privacy advocates, civil liberties groups, and now content creators have raised concerns about the scope and scope of license plate tracking. The company's ALPR cameras capture vehicle data at scale, creating detailed movement records that critics argue enable tracking without meaningful consent or transparency. Home Depot and Lowe's have deployed Flock systems in parking lots across their store networks, citing security and asset protection as primary drivers for the deployment.

The influencer-led pressure represents a shift in how surveillance technology faces public opposition — moving beyond traditional advocacy channels to leverage creator platforms and audience engagement. This follows broader pushback against ALPR deployment in retail, law enforcement, and municipal settings, with civil liberties organizations raising concerns about data retention, access controls, and the chilling effect mass tracking may have on public movement and privacy expectations.