Tonight! Find out what you can do to fight mass surveillance in your local community.

American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio@acluohio.bsky.social · 7d ago

💻WEBINAR on Thursday at 6pm. Let's end mass surveillance. 💡Learn how to fight back against Big Tech and protect privacy rights in your community. ➡️Register: https://ow.ly/O5bK50ZFk6Z

It is not accurate to frame concerns about, and opposition to, warrantless mass surveillance as a partisan issue. As Ohioans across the entire state keep proving every day, this is an issue that crosses party and ideological lines. As it should. www.news5cleveland.com/news/politic...

Party flip? Democrat Acton supports ICE collaboration, as GOP Ramaswamy concerned about Flock cameras

Democratic candidate for Ohio governor Dr. Amy Acton is breaking from her party to support local police in working with federal immigration enforcement.

news5cleveland.com

Keep in mind, as harmful, terrible & unacceptable as Flock is, their competitors are likely no better. Society's ALPR problem is not a Flock problem. It is an ALPR problem, no matter who controls things. And, of course, mass surveillance is more than an ALPR problem.

WIRED@wired.com · last wk.

Flock’s surveillance cameras have already sparked outrage. WIRED reconstructed its next-generation AI system, already in use by some police, to confirm it goes much further than tracking license plates.

While elimination is the goal, any bill, law, etc. to regulate ALPRs should include (at least) a warrant requirement. SCOTUS said "get a warrant" for GPS, cell phone location info & geofencing. Very hard to believe they will not say the same for ALPRs. www.dispatch.com/story/news/p...

Ohio could restrict Flock camera data, crack down on misconduct

Sen. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, will introduce a bill to limit how Flock camera data is shared and crack down on misuse.

dispatch.com

Next week, on Wed, Aug 27, I will be part of a lively discussion about ALPRs & government surveillance at the Columbus Metropolitan Club. It's the topic on everyone's minds in 2026 (& beyond). I hope to see you there! columbusmetroclub.org/event/whos-w...

Who’s Watching? The Fight Over Flock Cameras - CMC Forum

Featuring Gary Daniels, Legislative Director, ACLU of Ohio; Emmanuel V. Remy, Columbus City Councilmember, with moderator Anna Lynn Winfrey, Reporter, The

columbusmetroclub.org

A natural result of a legislature obsessed with abortion, gerrymandering, trans students, making it illegal to criticize a country, Ten Commandments on classroom walls & nonexistent voter fraud. It all leaves little time for actually helping communities. www.cleveland.com/open/2026/08...

Libraries feared state cuts would force hardships -- it’s happening in Cleveland and across Ohio

Libraries across Ohio are losing millions in state funding after lawmakers changed how public institutions receive dollars, forcing some to reduce hours or close branches.

cleveland.com

Once a bill drops, it will be very telling to see who throws the Fourth Amendment overboard, arguing we must have every detail about where we travel watched & recorded by The Man for our own good. Others will remain silent either way, also very revealing. www.nbc4i.com/news/politic...

Ohio bipartisian effort would limit Flock camera use

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Flock Safety, the manufacturer of automated license plate reader surveillance cameras widely used by law enforcement, rolled out new security features in response to w…

nbc4i.com

ALPRs are *fantastic* if you trust Big Govt following you to physical & mental health care. Or to your house of worship. Or to the gun store/gun show. Or to the rally, protest, or meeting. Or anywhere/everywhere else. But, Ohioans are fighting back vs the Surveillance State.

Abortion Forward@abortionforward.org · 3w ago

Reporting from Statehouse News Bureau's @joingles1.bsky.social: Abortion rights advocates fear Flock cameras could track women seeking abortions in Ohio

I was thrilled to see so many Columbus residents turn out Monday night to express their opposition to ALPRs & mass surveillance. All the testimony I was there for was impressive, passionate & enlightening. You’re my kinda people! matternews.org/community/po...

Local Politics: Flock representative leaves halfway through Columbus City Council hearing – Matter News

Of the 55 Columbus residents who signed up to speak at the hearing, only five voiced support for keeping the cameras in place.

matternews.org

Tonight I will speak at the Columbus Flock hearing to make 4 basic points - 1) The best & requested outcome is an ALPR ban, 2) This is not just a Flock problem, 3) This is not just an ALPR problem, 4) If no ban, then (finally) super tight regulation. www.wosu.org/politics-gov...

Flock surveillance cameras are watching Columbus. Here's what to know

Columbus City Council is holding a public hearing on Flock cameras on Aug. 10. Here's everything that's happened regarding the technology in Columbus.

wosu.org

Never accused, arrested, indicted, or convicted. But, placed on a secret terror watch list, then deliberately targeted & singled out by the federal govt, because he dared to protest against Atlanta's Cop City. #PoliceState arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026...

Activist charged with felony after giving border agent "duress code" that wiped his phone

The government says destroying his own data during an airport interrogation was illegal.

arstechnica.com

Nowhere in this coverage is there ANY indication Council is considering passing an actual, you know, LAW to end or regulate ALPRs. And because govt keeps proving it cannot be trusted with such tech, the end goal is not regulation, but total banishment. www.wosu.org/politics-gov...

Ginther orders Columbus police to stop statewide sharing of Flock cameras after audit release

An audit released by Columbus police found more than 15,000 possible immigration related searches, prompting Mayor Andrew Ginther to order police to stop statewide access.

wosu.org

Every day brings additional proof mass surveillance is not a partisan issue. That is, elected officials across Ohio from both major parties, throughout local & state govt, are the problem here. www.cleveland.com/news/2026/07...

Cleveland to keep Flock cameras after City Council vote

Cleveland’s Flock cameras survived a passionate City Council debate Wednesday, with members approving a new contract for the controversial license plate reader system in a 9-6 decision.

cleveland.com

UPDATE: Last week, DeWine signed HB 251. Soon, it will be a crime to view someone, for any reason, via a drone, without their express permission. It also allows police to use drones to spy on us 24/7/365 as long as we are outside, no matter what we are doing or where we are going. #BipartisanFailure

Gary Daniels@gdanielsohio.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Today, the @acluohio.bsky.social sent a veto request letter to Gov. DeWine about HB 251, a drone regulation bill. We also believe a veto is even more compelling now given this week's SCOTUS decision in U.S. v. Chatrie, a case about geofencing, searches & the Fourth Amendment. 1/15

Today, the @acluohio.bsky.social sent a veto request letter to Gov. DeWine about HB 251, a drone regulation bill. We also believe a veto is even more compelling now given this week's SCOTUS decision in U.S. v. Chatrie, a case about geofencing, searches & the Fourth Amendment. 1/15

Legislators & supporters of SB 293 *insisted* Ohio MUST change its absentee voting laws based on one court decision not binding on Ohio. Like their BS claims of (statistically non-existent) voter fraud, it was all just a dodge to further restrict voting. ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/06/30/o...

Ohio nixed absentee ballot grace period before US Supreme Court ruling, but court went the other way • Ohio Capital Journal

Last year, Ohio Republican lawmakers and Gov. DeWine nixed Ohio’s four-day absentee ballot grace period over fears of chaos and confusion if the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against them. Instead, a 5-4 c...

ohiocapitaljournal.com

When Ohioans told the legislature ramming through HB 472 was unnecessary, would lead to voter suppression & was an administrative nightmare, they got the middle finger. When Ohioans plead their case to Gov. DeWine, he listened. You made this happen. www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-n...

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine vetoes bill requiring photo ID to mail-in vote

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has vetoed legislation that would have required the vast majority of voters to provide their photo ID in order to cast an absentee ballot.

news5cleveland.com

🚨TAKE ACTION: HB 472 will end vote-by-mail as we know it, Governor DeWine must veto now. Ohioans should not have to sacrifice their privacy rights in order to participate in our democracy. Sign here: action.aclu.org/send-message...

Ironic to hear the same "tough on crime" Ohio politicians talk about the rule of law, accountability & victims re: Ohio's death penalty while they remain totally silent about the Epstein Files & all involved.

Among all the great reasons to get rid of capital punishment in Ohio, TWELVE exonerations (so far) from Death Row is among the very best. If Ohio politicians are going to crow about being skeptical of govt, the death penalty is a prime place to start. apnews.com/article/deat...

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine wants Ohio to abolish the death penalty, saying it is not a deterrent

Gov. Mike DeWine says he believes Ohio should abolish the death penalty. The term-limited governor, who has repeatedly postponed scheduled executions, said Tuesday that data shows the death penalty is...

apnews.com

Deciphering the Ohio Statehouse becomes much simpler once you realize actual policy drives (at most) 5% of the decisions there while pure politics drives the other 95%. Always keep that in mind & you'll never be surprised or shocked by what they do & do not.

For decades, debates about Ohio's criminal legal system have suffered because of a lack of readily available data. The most recent effort at a database was blocked by Ohio judges frightened of accountability. This could be huge, I look forward to diving in. www.vindy.com/news/latest-...

Ohio launches felony crime dashboard online

Ohio Crime Statistics Dashboard Ohio logged 1.16 million felony charges across all 88 counties over the past decade with 404,988 people involved. In the Mahoning Valley, 50,293 felony charges were fil...

vindy.com

Among other things, HB 251, a terrible drone regulation bill, 1) Gives the GOVT a blank check to surveil all of us, all the time, without a warrant, if we are outside/in car, 2) Makes it a crime for YOU (incl. news media) to view someone else - even whole crowds - w/o their permission.

American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio@acluohio.bsky.social · 3mo ago

🚨House Bill 251 provides police with a blank check to surveil, with drones, any and all of our travels, activities, and destinations without a warrant. We urge Ohio Senators to reject this bill and protect the privacy of Ohioans by voting NO. ❌❌ Take Action ➡️ https://ow.ly/3v5J50Z8R9l

Ohioans are quickly waking up to the unregulated surveillance state that has been established locally & statewide across Ohio. But state & local lawmakers continue to largely ignore these issues (when they are not actively making it all worse). www.cleveland.com/news/2026/06...

Cleveland school officials say Flock cameras protect parking lots. That's not the point

The real debate isn't whether schools need security cameras. It's whether they should be feeding data into a private, nationwide surveillance network with no clear limits on how it's used.

cleveland.com

Soon today, I will be testifying vs. SJR 10, the Senate’s version of the resolution to put photo ID for voters (already Ohio law) on the Nov. ballot. This resolution applies to the 0.0006% of ballots allegedly illegally cast over the past 8 years or so. #StatehousePriorities

Imagine trying to ban something but refusing to define what it is that will be outlawed. In this case, it is "DEI" (diversity, equity & inclusion) efforts at K-12 schools. Legislators know not defining it means anything/everything is on the chopping block. www.cleveland.com/news/2026/05...

Ohio Republicans want to ban DEI in public schools, but they have yet to define it

Senate Bill 113 would require every public school board to ban DEI-related trainings, offices, job titles and outside consulting contracts within 90 days of enactment.

cleveland.com

Soon today, I will be badmouthing HJR 9, the unnecessary, entirely politically motivated, ballot initiative attempt to require photo ID for voting. Illegal voting happens so infrequently in Ohio it can accurately be considered as happening 0% of the time.

Every day, Ohioans suffer the consequences of our elected leaders at the state & local levels not passing laws to regulate (or better yet, end) their use of widespread, invasive surveillance tech. While other states are not perfect, Ohio is now an outlier. www.daytondailynews.com/local/privac...

Privacy advocates: Legislation, guardrails needed for police license plate readers

Privacy rights groups say Dayton is “exhibit A” of why automated license plate readers and similar police surveillance tools should be rejected or removed by area communities or regulated by

daytondailynews.com

Ohio has an abortion informed consent/waiting period law. The same law currently blocked by a court. Yet, the Party of Small Govt is now testifying in favor of HB 347 - essentially the SAME THING as the blocked law - using the same arguments when they passed the first law….

Today, I will testify vs HB 251, a drone regulation bill that has devolved over time to become truly problematic. While HB 251 does contain some useful, positive provisions, changes made to it are a privacy/surveillance nightmare. 1/6