Prominent Online Creators Demand Lowe’s and Home Depot Ditch Mass Surveillance

On Friday, 56 content creators with a combined audience of 46 million people wrote to Lowe’s and Home Depot executives, demanding the companies cancel contracts with Flock, the notorious surveillance vendor that shares its database with ICE agents. Among the signatories are influencers that make content related to thrifting, home gardening, and DIY projects – people who play a significant role in modern marking for brands like Lowe’s and Home Depot.

You can see the full list of signatories and read the letter to Lowe’s and Home Depot executives at the website: https://www.deflocklowes.com/creators/

Organizers of the letter issued the following statements:

Reem Suleiman (she/her), Senior Campaign Director from Fight For the Future which helped to organize the effort said: “For too long, Lowe’s and Home Depot have downplayed and ignored very real issues of surveillance that genuinely endanger their customer base, especially their immigrant customers and customers of color. It’s notable that even content creators, who companies often rely on to promote their brands, are refusing to stay silent.”

Alexa Speed (she/her), the creator behind the popular consumer alternatives Substack Cut Off the Spigot, says, “Lowe’s and Home Depot have made millions off of the construction industry and undocumented immigrant labor – now they’re turning around and selling out their own customers to invasive surveillance through Flock.”

“There’s a stark difference between CCTV cameras designed to protect the store and its merchandise and private surveillance companies whose cameras are used to build digital profiles of everyone and their cars to be put on a searchable database. The store deserves to have theft prevention measures in place but companies like Flock and Axon are built for much more harmful things,” said creator and political commenter Peter Zezas (@peter.zezas).

The letter to Lowe’s and Home Depot is a part of a larger campaign effort organized by Fight for the Future and supported by dozens of organizations committed to immigrant, racial, gender, worker, and human rights. In addition to organizing with creators online, the campaign has organized protests actions outside of Lowe’s stores across the country to pressure the company to end its contract with Flock and any other license plate surveillance camera provider

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