Discovery Through Records Requests Raises Privacy Concerns

A straightforward public records request unveiled a troubling reality about how a private community center’s children’s gymnastics room became an unintended platform for corporate surveillance.

Flock Safety, a company based in Atlanta, has been quickly expanding its network of automated license plate readers (ALPRs) and integrated cameras, presenting its technology as a means to enhance public safety. However, these systems have reportedly allowed staff members to scrutinize areas where children engage in activities like playing, swimming, and exercising, as revealed through records requests by Jason Hunyar.

Hunyar, a resident of Dunwoody, Georgia, felt compelled to investigate Flock Safety after noticing his city’s reliance on this kind of surveillance technology. He has filed numerous public records requests with local officials, targeting a range of documents such as audit logs, contracts, data-sharing agreements, and access records related to the Flock system; he tracks his findings on his Substack.

While the discussion around Flock Safety’s surveillance technology is part of a larger conversation on personal privacy, Hunyar argues that the implications are more alarming than merely tracking movements. Notably, he claims that Bob Carter, Flock’s vice president for strategic relations and business development, accessed feeds from the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta (MJCCA)’s children’s gymnastics facility through the local police department’s network. Records indicate Carter accessed that particular area 185 times in 2025.

It’s puzzling to consider what rationale for public safety could justify accessing just one camera focused solely on children practicing in leotards. But the issue extends beyond Carter’s access. Hunyar found that several Flock Safety employees frequently accessed the MJCCA system, including Randy Gluck, who is responsible for business development related to emergency services, viewed both gym and pool cameras there. Other records revealed sales personnel quickly navigating through public traffic cameras before pausing at various angles of the community center’s facilities, which encompass gymnasiums, pools, fitness studios, and preschool areas. These logs indicate that Flock employees spent significant time monitoring sensitive areas occupied by innocent children.

Automated license plate readers may seem straightforward conceptually, yet their implementation can be quite intrusive. Flock cameras employ radar or triggers to capture images of passing vehicles, recording their license plates, timestamps, locations, and often additional details. This networking system constructs a detailed map of movement over time. However, when paired with private cameras—as seen in Dunwoody—the scope of surveillance widens significantly. Internal feeds, which are meant for limited security purposes, become searchable to anyone with access.

In a recent video, scientist and YouTuber Benn Jordan showcased how simple it is to hack into the Flock Safety system to watch live footage. He pointed out that you don’t need to be a law enforcement official or an employee to observe children in these sensitive zones for extended periods, dubbing the Flock system “Netflix for stalkers.”

Holly Bellin, a spokesperson for Flock Safety, dismissed the public’s privacy concerns, suggesting they stem from mere “anxiety.”

“I believe that’s exactly what’s happening—people are anxious and looking for someone to blame,” Bellin remarked. “I think our presence in media is due to the audit records we have, which allow citizens to hold this technology accountable. So it feels like we’re getting punished for being transparent.”

However, Bellin’s comments do little to clarify why a system marketed to citizens as a crime-fighting tool transformed children’s private spaces into accessible content for Flock employees.

This situation in Dunwoody raises an important question for parents and residents: Are we comfortable with our children’s gymnastics practices or pool days being recorded in corporate databases?

The landscape of U.S. surveillance has been packaged as safety technology, often accompanied by sleek marketing without overt coercion. Hunyar has shed light on one aspect of it, leaving the rest of us to consider whether we should turn a blind eye or call for dismantling the system.