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A group of shareholders led by Zevin Asset Management has submitted a proposal urging Home Depot to review its relationship with surveillance firm Flock Safety and explain how customer data is handled when law enforcement agencies make inquiries.
The shareholder coalition, which includes 17 co-filers and holds more than $7million in company stock, cited growing concern over privacy exposure and potential civil-rights implications stemming from the retailer’s surveillance footprint.
The request follows media reporting on data-sharing practices and increased public attention on the activity of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) operatives. Some stores have become focal points for discussion about federal immigration enforcement, given their long-standing role as gathering sites for day laborers seeking work from construction firms, contractors and homeowners.
Shareholder proposal highlights privacy and civil rights
The investor proposal, reviewed by Reuters, asked Home Depot to conduct an assessment of privacy and civil rights risks, including discrimination or wrongful detention that could arise from misuse of customer data. It also warned that “such practices may expose the Company to financial and legal risks, including potential data breaches and enforcement of evolving state privacy laws.”
The group further argued that the retailer already faces reputational risk tied to frequent immigration enforcement raids taking place near its stores and mounting public concern regarding surveillance.
Flock Safety provides automated license-plate readers which Home Depot places in parking lots. According to Reuters, a company spokesperson stated that Home Depot “does not grant access to its license-plate readers to federal law enforcement.”
The shareholders asked the company to clarify how information collected by the cameras is stored, accessed and protected, and how its partnerships align with widely accepted human rights and privacy standards.
ICE scrutiny adds workplace and reputational dimensions
The investor campaign gained momentum amid broader questions about ICE activity at retail locations. Following a raid at a Home Depot store, worker advocates told CNN that day labor hiring outside stores is “almost as American as apple pie now.”
When asked about federal operations, a Home Depot spokesperson told Reuters that the company “cannot legally interfere with federal enforcement agencies, including preventing them from coming into our stores and parking lots.”
In a letter to senior leadership, Zevin Asset Management asked Home Depot to disclose its policies to protect “workforce continuity, safety, and morale at its stores,” and to outline steps ensuring that technology partnerships do not conflict with human rights or privacy norms. The next shareholder meeting is expected to take place in May, positioning the proposal as an item to watch for ESG-focused investors and HR teams concerned with compliance, reputation and workforce relations.
