Do Home Depot and Lowe's use Flock cameras?

What records and reporting show

The first clear evidence came from public records. In August 2025, 404 Media reported that records the Electronic Frontier Foundation obtained from the Johnson County, Texas sheriff's office showed the office could search Flock cameras at 173 Lowe's locations around the country and at dozens of Home Depot stores in Texas.

Later reporting found the same pattern elsewhere. KPBS found in November 2025 that police agencies in San Diego County had access to private Flock networks at businesses including Home Depot and Lowe's. In June 2026, the Dayton Daily News confirmed plate readers at Lowe's stores in southwest Ohio and found shared-network records showing Ohio Lowe's and Home Depot stores gave some local police access.

These records cover specific places and dates. They do not tell you whether the store near you has a camera or which agencies can search it today. Flock told 404 Media that cameras owned by private companies have more restrictive sharing options than police cameras, and a Flock spokesperson told Business Insider that police cannot see a private customer's data without that customer's explicit authorization.

Can other agencies search Flock camera data? · Spot a Flock camera

What Home Depot says

Home Depot says it uses plate readers in its parking lots to detect and prevent theft and to protect customers and employees. Its immigration FAQ says: “We do not grant access to our license plate readers to federal law enforcement.”

The ALPR section of its privacy statement is broader. It says Home Depot will not share plate data outside the company except in limited cases, which include its service providers and cooperating with law enforcement. It sets no fixed retention period and says data is kept as long as needed for its stated purposes.

At the May 2026 shareholder meeting, Home Depot's general counsel said the company had authorized only local and state law enforcement agencies to access its plate data, the Dayton Daily News reported. The same report noted that ICE has agreements with some local and state agencies, so police could in theory search on its behalf. 404 Media found local searches for federal immigration cases in 2025 audit logs.

Does Flock share data with ICE?

What Lowe's says

Lowe's has said less in public. It did not respond to requests for comment from The American Prospect in May 2026 or Business Insider in September 2026.

Its U.S. privacy statement, which we read in an Internet Archive copy from October 2, 2026 because Lowe's site blocked our request, says it uses plate readers at some stores, where the law allows, for security purposes that include preventing theft and fraud. It says Lowe's may disclose personal information in response to a request from state or local law enforcement, a warrant or other legal process, or to deal with crimes on its property.

The statement says Lowe's does not sell plate data and shares it with select service providers and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. It says Lowe's typically keeps the data no more than 90 days unless it is needed for an investigation or a legal obligation.

The Home Depot ALPR lawsuit in California

California shoppers have sued Home Depot over its plate readers. The cases now sit in federal court in San Francisco as In re: Home Depot ALPR Litigation, No. 3:26-cv-03103. The first was filed in California state court, and Home Depot moved it to federal court in April 2026. A second, Schmierer v. Home Depot, was filed on May 1. The court consolidated them in June, and the plaintiffs filed a consolidated complaint on June 30.

What the plaintiffs allege: Home Depot uses Flock cameras at its California stores to capture each vehicle's plate, make, model and color, and feeds that data into a database that police agencies across the country can search. They also allege its privacy policy leaves out items California's plate reader law requires, such as a named custodian and a set retention period. They seek at least $2,500 per person, the minimum damages that law sets.

What a court has decided: nothing on the merits. Home Depot asked the court to dismiss the case in August 2026, and the plaintiffs filed an amended complaint in September. A schedule entered September 1 sets a jury trial for May 2029, and the court referred the case to private dispute resolution. CourtListener's copy of the docket, checked October 4, 2026, showed no settlement and no ruling on the claims.

Viral posts got two details wrong, Snopes found. The complaint does not say the cameras scan faces, and $2,500 is the legal minimum the plaintiffs cite, not a promised payout. A Flock spokesperson told Snopes its products do not have facial recognition.

Court docket on CourtListener · Do Flock cameras use facial recognition?

Shareholder votes and public pressure

Shareholders at both companies voted in May 2026 on proposals asking for reports on customer data privacy risks, including the plate readers. Both boards opposed them, and both failed. At Home Depot, about 63 million shares voted for and 646 million against. At Lowe's, about 38 million voted for and 381 million against, according to the companies' SEC filings.

Outside pressure has continued. Fight for the Future launched a “Deflock Lowe's” campaign in February, Business Insider reported. In September 2026 the group organized a letter from 56 online creators asking both chains to end their Flock contracts. Home Depot told Business Insider the cameras help it prevent and investigate theft, including organized retail crime. Lowe's did not respond.

Does Walmart use Flock cameras?

Walmart uses plate readers, but we could not confirm that they are made by Flock. Its ALPR privacy notice, updated February 16, 2026, says it uses them for security purposes, including theft and fraud prevention and parking enforcement. It keeps the data for 60 days unless it is needed for legal proceedings or other lawful purposes, and it may disclose the data when it believes that will protect safety, property or rights. The notice does not name a vendor.

We found no statement from Walmart or Flock naming Flock as Walmart's supplier. The Scioto Post noted that a plate reader in a Walmart lot is not automatically a Flock camera, and that some police departments have put their own Flock cameras on or near Walmart property.

Other chains have answered questions too. Ulta Beauty told Business Insider that Flock cameras are at fewer than 1% of its more than 1,500 stores.

Walmart's ALPR privacy notice · News: Ulta faces pressure over Flock cameras

Any business can buy Flock and share with police

Flock sells to private customers as well as police. It told Business Insider in September 2026 that it has more than 5,000 private-sector clients. KPBS reported that Flock's user guide encourages businesses to share camera access with local police, though sharing is not required.

So the question at any store, mall or HOA is the same: who owns the camera, and which agencies has the owner let in? The store's plate reader policy answers part of it. Your police department's network sharing list answers the rest, and you can ask for it in a public records request.

Who can see an HOA's Flock data? · Can you opt out of Flock cameras? · How to request Flock audit logs · Flock camera map by city

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HOA Flock cameras: who can access the data? · Can other agencies search your city's Flock camera data? · Do Flock cameras use facial recognition? · How to request your city's Flock audit logs · Why are Flock cameras controversial? · All guides · Live camera map · Get the app