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This story was originally published by Prism.

A national gender justice organization is escalating a campaign against Ulta Beauty over the cosmetics retailer’s use of automated license-plate reader (ALPR) cameras made by the surveillance company Flock Safety, arguing that it threatens customer privacy and could disproportionately harm women and gender-expansive people.

UltraViolet, a women-led gender justice organization, launched its “Drop Flock” campaign this month, calling on Ulta Beauty to terminate contracts with Flock Safety and other mass surveillance companies. The organization said its petition had surpassed 15,000 signatures as of Sept. 8.

“Ulta Beauty has built a multibillion-dollar business on women’s trust,” UltraViolet Campaign Director Jenna Sherman said in a statement accompanying the campaign’s launch. “Putting Flock, an invasive mass surveillance system, right outside its stores without customer knowledge or consent is a direct violation of that trust.”

When asked about the campaign’s privacy and gender justice concerns, a Flock spokesperson pointed to the company’s public media FAQ page outlining its data retention policies and security safeguards. According to the FAQ page, cameras collect vehicle and license-plate data for law enforcement investigations with access and retention controlled by the agencies that use the system. Flock’s website says the company does not sell the data or use facial recognition. Ulta Beauty did not respond to Prism’s request for comment.

The campaign grew out of UltraViolet’s broader work examining the intersection of technology, privacy, and gender-based violence. Sherman said the organization has spent years tracking technologies that can be used to surveil, stalk, or harass women and gender-expansive people, including facial recognition, connected vehicles, location tracking, and other emerging technologies.

First Came the Flock Cameras. Now Local Cops Want Autonomous Drones.

UltraViolet became more directly involved in the campaign against Flock Safety after working with Fight for the Future, a digital rights organization that has organized campaigns against Flock’s contracts with major retailers and local........

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