Ulta Beauty Faces Backlash Over Use of Flock Safety Surveillance Cameras in Stores

Ulta Beauty is facing backlash from shoppers over the cosmetics giant allowing Flock Safety surveillance cameras at some of its stores.

The controversy started Wednesday when Atlanta comedian Lisandra Vazquez shared a video of her shopping at Ulta and alleged that “Ulta Beauty is one of Flock Camera’s biggest commercial customers.”

“Come with me to the Ulta-mate place for beauty and surveillance. Their shelves are so stocked, I don’t even mind being stalked. Hi, officer,” Vazquez said in the video, panning to a man who appeared to be a police officer standing in the store. It is unclear what Ulta location she is shopping at.

An Ulta spokesperson told The Independent that the company, which has more than 1,500 stores and overwhelmingly female shoppers, uses automated license plate readers at fewer than 1 percent of its stores to investigate elevated crime, particularly organized retail theft.

The cameras do not use facial recognition and access to the data is strictly controlled, according to the spokesperson. Flock camera use at Ulta was first reported by Retail Dive.

At least 50 law enforcement officers have been accused, charged or arrested for misusing Flock and similar license plate reader networks to track and stalk women, including wives, partners and ex-girlfriends, The Washington Post reported last month.

The cameras are controversial because they use AI to automatically track and log drivers’ movements without a warrant.

Vazquez’s post caught the attention of civil liberties group UltraViolet, which launched a campaign titled “Hey Ulta: Mass surveillance isn’t pretty,” calling on the retailer to cut ties with Flock and deactivate the cameras.

“At a time when women seeking reproductive healthcare, immigrants, protesters, journalists, and others are increasingly being monitored and targeted, the consequences of Flock’s mass surveillance system are staggering,” the organization said in an Instagram post. “We shouldn't have to trade our privacy and safety for a trip to Ulta.⁠”

Meanwhile, customers flooded the comment sections on Ulta’s official Instagram, also expressing concerns over the alleged Flock surveillance.

“Hey Ulta, we don’t want to be surveilled at your store. Also stop deleting comments about it,” wrote one person.

“Well aren’t we all just FLOCKING to ultra! My favorite part of makeup is when a cop stalks me because @ultabeauty wants women to be unsafe. Thanks guys!” another person wrote.

“I’m a regular customer at Ulta & I won’t be shopping here until you terminate your flock camera contracts. We deserve better from you,” a third said.