News & Coverage

Responding to Utah Civic Compact’s Weber County records, Gov. Spencer Cox said he is “deeply troubled” by how the county’s ten Flock cameras have been searched and asked the Utah Privacy Governing Board and the Utah Privacy Commission to review the state’s rules and enforcement. “We have legislation that puts those guardrails in place,” Cox said. “The question is: is the legislation being followed?”

Records obtained by Utah Civic Compact show ten Flock Safety cameras in Weber County were searched 5.1 million times between February 2022 and July 2026, with almost 97% of those searches coming from agencies outside Utah. The Houston Police Department alone accounted for more than a third of all activity.

Utah Civic Compact released public records at the Capitol showing Weber County's license plate reader cameras were searched more than 5 million times since early 2022, overwhelmingly by out-of-state agencies. The group is calling on state lawmakers to tighten the rules governing how outside agencies access Utah data.

Utah Representative Blake Moore faces a primary challenge from state legislator Karianne Lisonbee, who is capitalizing on voter opposition to the massive Stratos data center project. The race exemplifies growing Republican tensions between pro-business interests and populist concerns about AI-driven infrastructure.

Forbes examines Box Elder County's battle over the proposed Stratos data center and the broader national questions it raises about community consent, AI infrastructure, and who bears the costs when massive development projects are fast-tracked without public input.

Utah Civic Compact submitted a formal complaint to Utah Attorney General Derek Brown alleging Box Elder County Commissioner Boyd Bingham violated state conflict of interest law by voting on the Stratos Project without disclosing his employer's lien on the land in question.

O'Leary Digital's CEO argues the proposed Hansel Valley development will occupy a limited footprint with most land preserved as open space, while Utah Civic Compact challenges whether state officials followed proper legal procedures in approving the controversial project.

Utah Civic Compact released a detailed briefing alleging that the Military Installation Development Authority broke three provisions of state law in fast-tracking approval of the Stratos Project — a proposed 9-gigawatt natural gas data center in Hansel Valley backed by Kevin O'Leary.