A controversy has erupted in one of Canada's wealthiest neighbourhoods over plans to use an AI-powered surveillance system to create the country's first 'virtual gated community' in response to rising property crime. Residents of Toronto's Rosedale area are considering installing Flock licence plate-scanning cameras to combat a surge in home invasions that occur at more than double the city average, despite overall crime rates in Toronto dropping.
The proposal, led by Rosedale resident Craig Campbell who runs a security company, would see an initial 100 residents pay a C$200 monthly subscription for technology that scans licence plates of cars passing through virtual 'gates'. The US-based firm Flock says its AI can learn which vehicles belong to residents and flag suspicious ones. Campbell emphasised the cameras do not use facial recognition, instead creating 'whitelists' and 'blacklists' of vehicles, with data retained for 30 days and accessible by police only with legal authorisation.
Campbell holds the Canadian licensing rights for Flock and acknowledged his commercial interest, but said he was also motivated by friends' experiences, including a home invasion where children were held at knifepoint. 'Something has to be done,' he said. The system would work alongside unarmed security guards already patrolling the area.
While many residents in the neighbourhood's WhatsApp group are enthusiastic, others have raised concerns over AI bias, profiling and surveillance. Flock has faced scrutiny in the US after incidents including data sharing with immigration authorities and a police officer using the system to search for a woman who had a self-administered abortion. A YouTube video showed a camera being hacked in under 30 seconds.
Canadian privacy laws are stricter than in the US, and the plan would likely face legal challenge. Regulators may view the camera network as a data collection system, triggering Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. Campbell expressed confidence they would be compliant.
