The archive
throughline No. 083 July 6, 2026

The Off Switch

The surveillance policy of an American town is written in a procurement contract's default settings — 30-day retention, log-everyone-by-default, nationwide search access, and a decommissioning clause that keeps cameras rolling after the council votes no — and the audit log is the only receipt.

The Off Switch

The surveillance policy of an American town is written in a procurement contract's default settings — 30-day retention, log-everyone-by-default, nationwide search access, and a decommissioning clause that keeps cameras rolling after the council votes no — and the audit log is the only receipt.

Cleveland's council voted down its Flock contract and the agreement expired June 29 — but the 100 license-plate cameras are still running, on the vendor's grace period, until a July 15 hearing decides who actually holds the off switch.

Why it matters: The viewer's own vehicle is logged roughly 4 times a day in a covered city, searchable by thousands of outside agencies without a warrant; their council's renewal vote — Cleveland July 15, Berkeley this month — is the one control surface; and documented misuse now includes officers criminally charged for stalking.

Date to watch: July 15, 2026 — Cleveland's second council hearing, when Flock's grace period ends and the network either renews at $250,000 a year or goes dark; Berkeley's 52-camera contract expires the same month.

Sources:

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