Oconee County in South Carolina is taking steps to limit the use of mass surveillance systems, including Flock Safety cameras. A proposed ordinance, set for its first reading on August 18, 2026, aims to prohibit county resources from supporting these systems and restrict their use on county-controlled roads.
Constitutional Concerns
The ordinance is being championed by Oconee County Council Chairman Matthew Durham, who frames the issue as a test of local officials’ commitment to upholding the Constitution. Durham emphasizes that while these systems can aid law enforcement, they also pose significant risks to individual privacy and constitutional rights.
The proposed ordinance defines mass surveillance as the routine collection or processing of identifying information about people, vehicles, or devices in public places, combined with capabilities such as creating searchable histories, tracking movements, or sharing data through external networks.
Provisions and Exceptions
The ordinance would prohibit county funds from supporting prohibited systems, ban these systems from county property and rights-of-way, and restrict discretionary funding to municipalities that continue to participate in such systems. Exceptions are made for ordinary security cameras, body-worn cameras, and specific, narrowly tailored investigations with prior judicial authorization.
Chairman Durham underscores that the concern extends beyond the mere capture of images on public roads, highlighting the potential for these systems to build comprehensive, searchable records of individuals’ movements, including visits to places of worship, medical facilities, or political gatherings.
Implications for Municipalities
The ordinance’s provisions also target municipalities operating their own surveillance networks. Cities or entities contributing to prohibited systems would become ineligible for discretionary county funding, potentially affecting a wide range of municipal activities and events.
Original reporting: FITSNews — read the source article.
