(Photograph of Flock camera on Jordan Road, taken by Sadie Groner)

In early July 2026, Penn State Behrend installed three AI-powered Flock surveillance cameras on its campus. Positioned at the campus entrances, two can be found on Jordan Road, with another in Knowledge Park.

The university states the cameras are being used for “general investigations”, such as tracking stolen vehicles and flagging potential missing persons. In practice, Flock cameras photograph passing vehicles, recording license plate information, make, model, and/or color of the vehicle, and log the location and time of the vehicle’s appearance.  

With the sudden integration of this surveillance system at Behrend, a rising tide of concerns are appearing amongst the student body. After posting a series of polls on YikYak, an anonymous social media/messaging app for university students, Behrend students expressed an overwhelmingly negative response towards the new Flock cameras. When asked, “Do you support Flock cameras on campus?” 91% of students, 373 users, responded no. The next highest group was 5% of students who held a neutral view, followed by 3% who had no opinion on the matter. In last place, amassing only 3 out of the 410 total votes, 1% of students responded yes, they did support Flock. A follow-up poll was conducted, asking “Do you feel safer with Flock cameras on campus?” Again the overwhelming majority, 90% or 325 users, responded no, and only 3%, 12 users, voted yes. 

There are several potential causes for the significant push-back Flock cameras are receiving from students and the general public. Some individuals see the installment of these cameras as an invasion of basic civil liberties, since surveillance appears constant and occurs regardless of individual consent. One Behrend student put it succinctly, “It’s a clear invasion of our privacy.”

Another student raised a different issue, though. She cited Flock’s propensity for falsely flagging vehicles suspected of criminal acts, for instance, car theft. The student expressed distrust of the cameras and the accompanying AI-software, stating “I would prefer a different camera that’s viewed by the campus security, then a camera that’s [using] AI.”

Behrend’s Student Government Association (SGA) is considering speaking with campus security about Flock’s presence on campus in the coming months, though no concrete plans have been made at this time.