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WELCOME TO THE DATA JUSTICE LAB’S DATA PRIVACY WORKSHOP

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FUTURE WORKSHOPS AT UF AND IN GAINESVILLE

FALL 2026

GOOGLE, COOKIES, AND AMP LINKS
INVITING CITY AND COUNTY OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS FLOCK

SPRING 2027

RESEARCHING WITH(OUT) AI
DATA PRIVACY WORKSHOP

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Who gets to define what is digital or everyday safety and privacy for us?

In our communities?
In our homes?
On phones?

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There is no universal data privacy law in the U.S.

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It is on us to understand the consequences of not having data privacy and demanding accountability when our data is used to harm us or others in our communities!

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How has our data been used in the U.S. in ways that we might not even realize?

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Plan for today

I share a brief example of Google Geofence warrants and how data you might not think about can easily be used against you or people you care about!
Jada will discuss and offer live demos to demonstrate how data brokers use and sell your data, social media settings to increase your privacy, and turning off the most common way that Google tracks your location
Teji, Sharlyen, and I will then offer information about Flock cameras and license plate recognition systems, including some recent uses/cases where communities have outlawed the camera systems.

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Google Geofence Warrants

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In January 2020, an alarming email from Google landed in McCoy’s inbox. Police were requesting his user data, the company told him, and McCoy had seven days to go to court and block its release.

McCoy later found out the request was part of an investigation into the burglary of a nearby home the year before. The evidence that cast him as a suspect was his location during his bike ride – information the police obtained from Google through what is called a geofence warrant. For simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time, McCoy was being investigated and, as a result, his Google data was at risk of being handed over to the police.

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Google revealed for the first time in August 2021 that it received 11,554 geofence location warrants from law enforcement agencies in 2020, up from 8,396 in 2019 and 982 in 2018.��Google says it received a record 60,472 search warrants in the US in 2022.�

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Geofence and keyword search warrants

For geofence warrants, anyone in a certain place at a certain time becomes a suspect and is subject to further investigation which could mean giving police even more of their user data.

For keyword search warrants, another relatively new mechanism to obtain user information that has emerged, anyone who searched for a certain phrase or address becomes a suspect.

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as is typical of these notices, mccoy had just days to hire a lawyer who knew what a geofence warrant was and how to handle it…for many without resources, that’s a near impossible ask.

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Google

The company provides at least some information in about 80% of cases. Although many large technology companies receive requests for information from law enforcement at least occasionally, police consider Google to be particularly well suited to jump-start an investigation with few other leads. Law enforcement experts say it’s the only company that provides a detailed inventory of whose personal devices were present at a given time and place.

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Apple

Apple Inc., the other major mobile operating system provider, has said it’s technically unable to supply the sort of location data police want. That’s OK, because many iPhone users depend on Google Maps and other Google apps. Google’s search engine owns 92% of the market worldwide and is currently the focus of an antitrust lawsuit from the US Department of Justice.

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What makes it worthwhile to give up our privacy? Who gets to define safety?

A detective in Scottsdale, Arizona, got geofence warrant in search of somebody accused of stealing a Louis Vuitton handbag.
In that investigation and many others, the Google data offered nothing useful.

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A tiny bit of hope for those here today!

JADA IS GOING TO SHARE A WAY FOR YOU TO TURN OFF THE SHARING HISTORY!

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Anti-Doxxing Workshop

UF Data Justice Lab

April 25, 2026

UF Data Justice Lab

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What is doxxing?

Doxxing (or doxing) is searching for and releasing sensitive or private information about an individual online, often with the intention of causing harm.

Anyone with personal information online is at risk for being doxxed, but this tactic is most often used against

journalists
activists
public figures

Doxxers look for phone numbers, addresses, emails, work locations, private pictures, birth dates, etc.

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Table of contents

04

02

01

03

Data Broker Explanation

Common Data Brokers

Social Media Data

Google Location Data

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Data Broker Explanation

What are data brokers?

Companies and websites collect your data from location

tracking, viewing and purchasing histories, social media, and your online presence. These websites are often very sketchy and sometimes ask for more information to remove yourself from their database.

How do doxxers use data brokers to find your information?

Data brokers store and aggregate your data, often

providing it for anyone who makes a purchase. Doxxers can pay to find out any information stored by the data broker.

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Data Broker Explanation

Why do data brokers matter?

Your information is stored in data broker websites, and is

accessible to anyone willing to pay for access. In some cases, companies will use your available data to make conclusions about your credit, political beliefs, or if they should provide service to you.

This is often detrimental to already marginalized communities, as the data may tell a biased story with long-lasting negative effects.

UF Data Justice Lab

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Common Data Brokers

Fast People Search

Nuwber

Voter Records

White Pages

Intelius

Radaris

Paid service, links to other data brokers, shows address location on a map

Comprehensive profile, paid service, shows related names for free

Free to look anyone up,�shows phone number and address

Shows full name, city of address, related people; paid service

Shows city, phone number, related people for free; paid service

Free service, links to paid services, shows address, related people, etc.

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Live Demo! Fast People Search

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Live Demo!

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Social Media Data

What is social media used for?

People use it to connect with their friends and family,

but data brokers and employers also examine social media

to make decisions about your character.

How can I be safe on social media?

Set unique passwords
Enable two-factor authentication
Monitor open sessions and log out of unfamiliar devices
Do not sync with contacts
Make your account private if possible
Turn off website permissions

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Live Demo!

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Social Media Data

→ Accounts Center → Password and security�

→ Two-Factor Authentication (add two factor authentication)
→ Where you’re logged in (sign out of unfamiliar sessions)

→ Accounts Center → Website Permissions�

→ Apps and Websites (revoke unauthorized applications linked to your account)

→ Accounts Center → Your information and

Permissions → Upload contacts

→ Toggle off Connect contacts (disable contact sync)��

Instagram

TikTok

→ Settings & Privacy → Security and permissions�

→ Security Alerts (get notifications for unusual account activity)
→ 2-Step Verification (add two-factor authentication)
→ Apps and services → Permissions (remove connected third-party apps)

→ Settings & Privacy → Privacy�

→ Safety → Downloads → turn off (remove permission for others to download your videos)
→ Sync Contacts and Facebook Friends → turn off (removes contact sync)

��

UF Data Justice Lab

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Google Location Data

What is Google Location Data?

Tracked through their “Timeline” feature, all your data of

where you have been in the past three months is stored. It can use this data to ask you to rate places you have been to, influence your ad preferences, and know where you are.

If I disable Timeline, will Google still have access to my location?

Potentially yes, since your phone’s location status is

still on; however, turning off Timeline limits the exact tracking of all your routes by Google.

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Live Demo! Google Account

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Google Location Data (and other privacy settings)

→ Manage your Google Account → Data & Privacy → Web & App Activity

→ Web & App Activity → Turn off/Turn off and delete activity

→ Personalized Ads → My Ad Center → Personalized Ads → Off

→ Data Sharing → Third-party apps & services → (click on app of choice)

→ Delete all connections you have with (app of choice)

→ Timeline → Turn off

�

UF Data Justice Lab

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UF Data Justice Lab

Thank you for attending! Scan the QR code to see our Linktree with detailed instructions on how to remove your data!

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Flock cameras

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Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR)

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Flock thinking of adding gunshot detection to cameras…

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Flock’s self-stated mission

The company makes grandiose claims about its mission, which it says is to

“eliminate nonviolent crime across the United States.”

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Flock’s arguments for existing

FINDING MISSING PERSONS OR STOLEN CARS

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Holly Beilin, a spokesperson for Flock Safety, said ALPRs are capturing information on a license plate, which are not personal property but are owned by the state, removing any argument that there is an expectation of privacy there.

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Who is buying Flock’s services?

Neighborhood associations

Police departments (over 5,000 police departments)

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Gainesville’s contracts with Flock

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GNV City Commission’s 2024 contract

Last year, GPD paid Flock $25,000, Forgey said, using 10 total cameras. Private companies can also buy and use Flock technology. Crowdsourced camera detection site DeFlock.me indicates about 100 of these cameras exist in total throughout the greater Gainesville area, many of which are clustered near Butler Plaza shopping center and around the main UF campus. - the alligator

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Flock differs greatly from a standard red light camera. ��Red light cameras are used to exclusively detect traffic violations (e.g., speeding, running red lights). ��Flock cameras capture every passing vehicle, including license plate, vehicle image, and GPS location, whereas red light cameras only record when a violation occurs. Flock cameras can track vehicles in real-time, whereas red light cameras do not track vehicles continuously.

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Case studies to understand how Flock is used

Police officers using flock cameras to harass and stalk their romantic partners and ex-romantic partners
A police officer uses flock cameras to track a woman self-managing an abortion
Tracking protests
Locating undocumented immigrants

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Monitoring protests

Via public records requests, Electronic Frontier Foundation obtained datasets representing more than 12 million searches logged by more than 3,900 agencies between December 2024 and October 2025. The data shows that agencies logged hundreds of searches related to the 50501protests in February, the Hands Off protests in April, the No Kings protests in June and October, and other protests in between.

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Ways to check up on Flock Cameras and Automatic License Plate Recognition Systems in our Communities

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Have I been Flocked?

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De-Flock

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The Flock cameras/recognition systems are being approved by local councils and commissions across the U.S. despite significant pushback from community members concerned about privacy.

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How community members are responding

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Verona, Wisconsin

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Exit Survey

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UF Data Justice Lab

Thank you for attending! Scan the QR code to see our Linktree with detailed instructions on how to remove your data!

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Discussion + Lunch!

Let’s produce our collective ways of imagining data privacy here on campus and in Gainesville
Each group has a poster and some markers
Questions to discuss and answer:

How do we address Flock locally?
What is your vision for data privacy on a local level? What is your vision for data privacy on a global level?

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Please note the following for lunch

We have catering from Bangkok Square

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References

Cohen, J. (2026, March 19). Don’t Let Google Track You. Change These 3 Settings ASAP. PCMAG; PCMag. https://www.pcmag.com/explainers/dont-let-google-track-you-change-these-3-settings-asap.

NYT Open Team. (2020, June 3). A Guide to Doxxing Yourself on the

Internet.[Google Doc File]. New York Times. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WleGh4D3_p7TYPhjfKRHQyMYwhZayYZayYY7AZSSzPs/edit?usp=sharing.

NYT Open Team. (2020, June 3). Doxxing Curriculum Guide.[Google Doc File]. New York Times.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/15n7nmzCqDOPc52n9LHozDuaQwBzLRNIjYzUCFx5M0FM/edit?tab=t.0

NYT Open Team. (2020, June 3). How to Dox Yourself on the Internet. Medium. https://open.nytimes.com/how-to-dox-yourself-on-the-internet-d2892b4c5954.

NYT Open Team. (2020, June 3). Social Media Security & Privacy Checklists.[Google

Doc File]. New York Times. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ud1ILFkIG0BeLX9jlzJMxCPm8-cSeqPjU60nkhUPYA8/edit?tab=t.0

UF Data Justice Lab