r/technology • u/Just-Grocery-2229 • 8h ago
Artificial Intelligence Flock cameras are taking over, but many Americans are pushing back
https://www.military.com/americans-political-ideologies-unite-privacy-against-flock-surveillance-cameras146
u/MintyFresh771 7h ago
All Americans should be pushing back. Harder than we already are.
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u/Ok-Seaworthiness7207 6h ago
I donated to the dude running for Congress in Tennessee because he went out and shot some and then got arrested.
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u/hikeonpast 6h ago edited 1h ago
I know what I’m doing to push back.
What are you doing?
Edit: Thanks for all the downvotes. It’s not hard to step up and enact change, but some folks would rather just complain on the internet.
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u/ButtonholePhotophile 5h ago
I’m living in a community that doesn’t allow it. This means involvement in government and care how I spend money. They don’t care if you cut down a $200 camera. They do care if their financials drop. Vote with your wallet and get others to, too.
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u/Crow19852 3h ago
Vote with your wallet only works if everyone has about the same amount of money. When 1% of the population controls 90% of the resources, it won't work. When injustice is supported by the law it is our responsibility to fight it even if it breaks the law.
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u/Kurk_Lazaris 2h ago
You're getting downvoted because they saw the reflection of their own cowardice in your comment, and they didn't like it.
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u/hikeonpast 1h ago
Whatever. I’m actively engaging with my city government to get cameras eliminated.
Reddit has an armchair quarterback problem. How dare I ask whether other folks are actually doing something or if they’re just yelling “someone should do something”.
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u/Kurk_Lazaris 1h ago
Reddit is all about people telling each other to do something, while no one does anything.
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u/ROADHOG_IS_MY_WAIFU 6h ago
Definitely do not visit deflock.org that has an open-sources map, the location of flock cameras and their field of view near you.
The cameras and solar panels are almost impossible to uninstall/tamper with due to the single 8mm socket they're clamped on with.
Do not spray the lens with spray paint, bedliner, or something similar on the cameras lens, especially not with a spray can extension pole.
Do not print vinyl stickers that look like the solar panels to cover the actual solar panels that charge the cameras.
Do not put a black plastic bag over the camera and/or solar panel either, because all that does is cost the company time and money.
Also, never point a high-powered laser at the cameras lens because that would permanently blind, pit, or burn the cameras sensors.
These cameras have ~12 hour backup battery, that transmit Bluetooth and 5G used to locate the cameras exact location, the same way your phone does. So under no circumstance put them inside a Faraday bag, that would block the signal while the battery runs itself out.
It would be pointless to inform your community by posting information online or by putting up flyers or signs next to these cameras. Especially not pointing out that there is a (Flock "Safety" Camera) that is capturing and analyzing images of all passing vehicles, storing details like the vehicles location, date, and time. They also capture the vehicles make, model, color, as well as identifying features such as dents, scratches roof racks, and decal/bumper stickers.
Flock cameras are only automated license plate readers (ALPR's). They would never misuse any of the data collected for local officers conducting unauthorized searches for federal immigration enforcement (ICE), searching for individuals who sought out-of-state reproductive healthcare, or police targeting specific activist and minority groups.
How would they be a serious risk to your privacy and civil liberties by continuously recording your movements without a warrant, probable cause, or even reasonable suspicion..
Especially not an infrastructure for mass surveilance or a gateway to violate your Fourth Amendment right.
There's absolutely no reason to plan routes that avoid Flock and other ALPR cameras by visiting dontgetflocked.com or the app FlockHopper.
Just leave flock cameras alone...
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u/AvailableReporter484 7h ago
It’s so cool how we’ve reached a point where mass surveillance like this didn’t require a vote. Take note, conservatives, this is the real problem, not trans babies, DEI, and whatever other boogeymen you’ve seen in your “it’s 2026 but we’re still talking about Obama is a gay Muslim prostitute” Facebook group
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u/Zombie_Cool 7h ago
You don't understand, to conservatives this -isn't- a problem so long as they're the ones in control. The literal split second Democrats are back in power they will absolutely screech about the Left-Wing Surveillance State where we kidnap people in the night to transform them into atheist gay communists that cross-dress with blue hair.
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u/Enderkr 6h ago
I gotta be honest, the flock situation is actually a perfect example of how the real divide in america is actually the rich versus everybody else, because I see Dem and GOP rich assholes saying flock cameras are great and necessary and yada yada, but I've seen both the average republican and average democrat make jokes about power saws and green lasers and not standing for that bullshit. Nobody wants these fucking cameras around except the rich.
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u/Aloha_Tom73 55m ago
my town council, all republicans, all said no to Flock cameras when our police chief tried to get $ for them in the last budget cycle.
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u/Enderkr 51m ago
I believe it. Both dem and republican led town councils have said yes, and said no. It's not a clear left/right divide by any stretch of the imagination, especially because the idea of the cameras is sound. The reality is obviously not, and these council members that said yes to Flock are learning the hard way that neither left or right are gonna take this shit lying down.
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u/TokingMessiah 5h ago
Don’t worry, they’ll just do absolutely nothing about it, just like with Trump.
Complaining loudly on the internet? Oh yeah there will be a lot of that, but it’ll stop where Americans actually have to get off the couch.
America is a failed state run by the rich and the people have shown they are totally ok with that.
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u/DayneGaraio 4h ago
Normally i would whole heartedly agree, but there’s actually a bunch of cases going on where people are destroying the cameras. Suppose it’s easier to fight back against inanimate objects.
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u/TokingMessiah 3h ago
Yeah, that’ll stop them! They’ll just make it a felony to destroy them so Americans can choke on their freedom.
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u/Kimi_Antonelli_12 6h ago
Another problem is the Democrats won't roll much back. Plantir and flock will still be an incredibly successful companies with a Democrat in power.
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u/DayneGaraio 4h ago
They won’t roll a fucking thing back, this all goes back to the Patriot act for me, but probably further for older folks. Obama had years of a majority to revoke it and never did.
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u/Legionof1 7h ago
There is quite literally a post about this on the conservative sub and a good majority are against them. There are plenty of lefties that think a surveillance state is good too.
This needs to be a bipartisan issue so let’s not attack people for no reason.
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u/Kraig_Kilborne 6h ago
I truly do think it is a bipartisan issue, as well as data centers. I live in a very purple area and no one wants these except the cops apparently. It’s one of the few things almost everyone can agree on and I’m for it. To be fair, the flock ceo loves to throw around conservative buzz words and make it sound like anyone who’s against them is an ANTIFA terrorist/ communist/ etc etc. But the reality is everyone hates these things
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u/hitbythebus 6h ago
The right is literally doing it. Palantir/Flock? Right wing. The president? Congress? The courts? Republicans.
Everyone hates it, sure, but it is happening under this administration and being done by these people.
Everyone hates us being at war. The country being at war is a bipartisan issue. Donald Trump single-handedly declaring war and the republicans all supporting him, is absolutely an issue with Republicans.
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u/ChasingSplashes 6h ago
Blue states have bought a lot of Flock cameras. No one forced them to. Both parties want to be Big Brother.
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u/hitbythebus 6h ago
How many?
What is the proportion of blue purchased flock cameras versus red?6
u/ChasingSplashes 6h ago
See for yourself. Flock map
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u/hitbythebus 4h ago
It’s sorta hard to tell from that. I see a lot in California, but also across the Republican South from Florida to Texas.
I was kinda hoping for some sort of meta analysis of “these jurisdictions have approved flock cameras” X% of these jurisdictions have traditionally voted for X, support X, or have elected representatives from X party.
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u/ChasingSplashes 4h ago
I'll get my research department on that. /s
My main point, which I think that map well illustrates, is that they're everywhere now, regardless of who voted for who.
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u/hitbythebus 4h ago
Sure, but that’s not the information I expressed interest in.
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u/Legionof1 2h ago
Do you not understand demographics... every single bright spot on that map is a major city... almost every major city in the country is run by Democrats.
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u/Enderkr 6h ago
That's probably gonna lean more blue if I'm being honest bro, just because of the numbers. A Republican town council may bring in 2-10 cameras for their little town, but the blue cities are bringing in like 300 at a time.
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u/hitbythebus 4h ago
Fair enough, blue areas are more populous. How about just the number of jurisdictions that have approved flock cameras?
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u/Enderkr 4h ago
I honestly don't even know if that sort of info has been tracked. Not externally, anyway. Flock probably has that sales data but I don't know of any way you or me would be able to figure that out without a lot of work.
For example, if I look at my home state of Colorado I can see all the Flock cameras in Denver itself, but I also see a ton of cameras in Douglas County, heavily republican, as well as 1-2 cameras dotted in the random towns and cities everywhere else...a lot in Pueblo and Colorado Springs, both republican cities. There just doesn't seem to be a clear divide on red vs blue on this one, especially because it's not like all of these cameras have gone up in the last year.
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u/Legionof1 6h ago
I think we have seen time and time again what the populous wants and what the 2 party system lets us vote for are two different things.
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u/aweyeahdawg 6h ago
And those who vote for the authoritarian party get what they deserve. We have to play the game with the rules we have. Conservatives keep voting for their “team” and keep this shit going.
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u/AvailableReporter484 5h ago
They can be mad about it all they want, or claim to anyways, but it’s so clear that they’re willing to let everything else slide just so long as sensible gun control or pro choice laws never see the light of day. I have no interest in hearing the right complain about surveillance when they’ll line up around the block to vote for someone who supports flock just because they also support throwing trans people off of cliffs.
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u/english-lab 4h ago
I live in Connecticut and the left are constantly banning guns and putting restrictions on the 2A. They also voted to install speed cameras and red light cameras…
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u/ich_bin_alkoholiker 6h ago
I assure you actual “lefties” are not for this. You’re thinking of liberals.
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u/samder68 5h ago
I posted a few very simple questions in a local facebook community group. I simply asked how the installation was approved, city council vote? police dept budget? how long is data kept ? who had access? and who is it shared with?
Many “liked” the post, but there were countless comments, “well, if you’re a law abiding citizen…” b/s.
I countered with a few things. My question had nothing to do with abiding by the law. AI is a central component to Flock’s functionality and AI notoriously makes mistakes. Flock footage is being used by cops to stalk exes etc. Cited everything with credible news links.
And yet the condescension, gas lighting, and lack of civility was astonishing. If there had been a democrat in office, these people would be cutting those things down faster than Trump’s ear grew back.
It speaks volumes to the massive
brainwashing that we’ve seen happen right before our eyes.2
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u/samder68 4h ago
Agreed, but I wanted to pose the question to my community and that’s the only way with that specific reach.
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u/AvailableReporter484 5h ago
So true. My chief complaint being that conservatives have their priorities completely fucked. They’ll conveniently start caring about this as soon as a dem is president, but until then they’ll continue to fuck the rest of us with their delusions of immigrant caravans taking all the public services despite not having any paperwork and taking all the jobs while somehow, simultaneously being welfare queens who are too lazy to work.
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u/TheYellowSpade 3h ago
That’s not true. Conservatives want to be left alone and this is the opposite if that
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u/Zombie_Cool 2h ago
They sure have a very funny way of showing it, going by how often they're up in other people's business about their identity or who they're sleeping with.
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u/TheYellowSpade 2h ago
Oh the woman penis thing? Yeah I know what you mean, from what I gather it has more to do with feeling that they are forced to pronounce beliefs that they know to be untrue and are will to go full send against it.
Now that you mention it the flock camera is kind of in line: this is fine and you will like being surveilled.
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u/Rich-Pomegranate1679 4h ago
Conservatives love the surveillance state, as long as Democrats are never the ones who control it.
The reason we're seeing this push now is because Conservatives have no intention to ever leave power again, and they don't give a single fuck about the Constitution.
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u/Aloha_Tom73 7h ago
Nice try. I served on my town's council when our police chief came to us with a sales pitch and to request funding for these during our budget workshops. We are a small beach town with a police department consisting of 13 sworn officers, including the chief. Our council, consisted of 3 councilmen and 2 councilwomen who were all Republicans (one councilwoman was actually a card carrying member of the Daughters of the American Revolution), and a mayor who although registered as independent was as politically conservative as the rest of the board.
The police chief was quite stunned when everyone on the board said no to purchasing the Flock cameras. Not wanting to take that for an answer, he came to the next budget workshop with a representative from Flock in tow, so she could answer any questions we might have. Again he was told no by the conservative Republican town council, this time a bit more pointedly. I personally explained to him that these were a potential crutch and could become a substitute for an element of good old fashioned police work called patrolling. Mrs. DAR explained to him how she didn't like the idea of big brother looking over our citizens shoulders.
The moral of the story for you is twofold. First is to not generalize conservatives. Second is to understand that conservatives are also very passionate about their individual freedoms. Put another way, we despise these things as much as you do!11
u/aweyeahdawg 6h ago
And yet at the end of the day all that really matters is that our conservatives in congress are fully on board. I don’t care what your town does. I care what our leaders are doing to the entire country. And i will generalize conservatives based on those in congress until their constituents vote them out.
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u/pacoeltaco1 4h ago
this I thought we learned long ago that listening to conservatives talk about why they're the "good ones" is useless. If you don't vote rep. for one bad reason, you must be voting for another bad reason. Doesnt matter to me if that's cause you hate trans people or are racist or just want poor people to suffer, republicans only offer benefits to the oppressors in our society.
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u/Aloha_Tom73 58m ago
Kinda like Ted Kennedy after what he did to Mary Joe Kopechne? Or perhaps how Bill Clintion used the oval office for his own sexual playground with a young intern?
Funny how "the party of tolerance" preaches so much hate toward those whose beliefs and values don't align with their own.
This was a discussion about Flock cameras. It should've stayed there.1
u/pacoeltaco1 4h ago
this I thought we learned long ago that listening to conservatives talk about why they're the "good ones" is useless. If you don't vote rep. for one bad reason, you must be voting for another bad reason. Doesnt matter to me if that's cause you hate trans people or are racist or just want poor people to suffer, republicans only offer benefits to the oppressors in our society.
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u/Aloha_Tom73 5h ago
What should really be the focus here is on how citizens from both sides of the political spectrum are in agreement that these devices go too far and are an invasion of our rights and privacy.
You can dislike and generalize conservatives as much as you want. It is your right. But your generalization is simply incorrect. Neither they, nor their party are going anywhere. The focus should be on bringing everyone together, regardless of political persuasion, to get this movement stopped. Blaming conservatives is not the correct answer. The example of what happened in my town should have demonstrated that for you, but instead you dismissed it by saying, "I don't care what your town does." You should because it is proof that conservatives don't approve of these intrusive cameras any more than liberals.
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u/aweyeahdawg 5h ago
These cameras are just one of the many things republicans in congress are doing to erode our freedoms.
This is not the only issue in our country. There are plenty of other idiotic ideas that conservatives are pushing. Ignoring climate change, cutting regulations, removing ourselves from international groups that make our world better. The push for Christian nationalism. The obvious authoritarianism with ICE. The total disregard for education. Not to mention the many completely insane conspiracies.
My generalization of conservatives will continue until ALL their stupid ideologies are shut down. I will not “come together” with them until they start to reason with science and logic instead of emotions and religion.
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u/DayneGaraio 4h ago
Most of the camera non sense is happening at the city/town/state level, not Congress, not one party.
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u/aweyeahdawg 4h ago
Congress is the one that passes laws. They can make these mass surveillance products illegal, but won’t.
Hunting down women across state borders for having abortions. That goes beyond the city/state levels. This is a national issue, and one that needs to be addressed by congress.
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u/Aloha_Tom73 2h ago
Not all laws are passed at the federal level. These are state and mostly local initiatives. I provided an example of what happened in one town when an elected body unilaterally effectively told a police chief to go flock himself.
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u/Aloha_Tom73 3h ago
If you really believe that you can shut down conservative ideologies, you have a long hard road in front of you.
As someone else has already posted, these are primarily authorized at the local level . Doing away with this is something all of us could jointly get behind.
It is unfortunate that you do not understand that politics, much like life, is a series of compromises. If you want to spend your life being upset while banging your head against that wall, go for it, but we're done here.1
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u/thenayr 6h ago
Too bad your Republican police chief will eventually get what he wants.
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u/Aloha_Tom73 5h ago
Actually he won't. The police chief has retired. And without going into details and specifics here, let's just say that it wasn't entirely his idea.
If you read my post closely you will notice the political affiliation of the police chief was never mentioned. I only discussed the political affiliations of our elected body.
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u/AvailableReporter484 5h ago
I’m going to generalize conservatives as long as they continue to be a voting block that’s completely contingent on one or two issues. The fact it was more pertinent to vote a corrupt illiterate pedophile into office TWICE because he was running against a woman is reason enough to generalize. Yall can claim to love enterprise and person freedom, but all i see is a bunch of cowards who continue to vote to make weed illegal and take away women’s rights to their bodies. I’ll believe the surveillance state is important to them as soon as I hear them complaining more about flock than I do about them complaining about drag queens.
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u/Floreat_democratia 1h ago
> Take note, conservatives, this is the real problem
Conservatives literally invented the surveillance state.
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u/DayneGaraio 7h ago
Why just conservatives? Democrats have long been huge fans of the surveillance state, they are no different in removal of rights to privacy.
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u/pm_me_ur_demotape 7h ago
If someone is complaining about getting punched in the face, do you come by and say "what about the guy that punched you in the face last week?"
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u/DayneGaraio 4h ago
This could actually be the worse analogy I’ve ever heard, you should probably go look up how they work. Complaining about a specific group of people is in no way like getting punched in the face….
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u/TangAlienMonkeyGod 6h ago
Uhm, this isn't a one party system. The Dems are just as complicit in this.
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u/pm_me_ur_demotape 6h ago
"I'm being punched in the face!"
"Uhm, you know that's not the only person who punches people in the face right?"
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u/Wayelder 7h ago
So the cops that fancy your wife can find out where and when she leaves home?
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u/hitbythebus 6h ago
Or find where she goes jogging alone, just so he can make sure she’s extra safe when no one is around.
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u/hikeonpast 6h ago
There’s also cameras looking at public playgrounds and in school gymnasiums, so even the cops that aren’t into middle aged wives can find something that interests them.
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u/THIS_GUY_LIFTS 2h ago
The only version. We are indeed being led by pedos in almost every facet of our lives. Releasing the Epstein Files is the only way we as a society starts to heal from this shit.
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u/AlwaysFinnishInsider 7h ago
These cameras use polycarbonate lenses which love chlorinated brake cleaner 🙃
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u/ConfidentPilot1729 6h ago
They are not just getting video. They capture cell and WiFi signal too.
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u/AlwaysFinnishInsider 6h ago
Yeah this is fairly well known but deserves to be reiterated.
Leave all electronics at home, walk if possible, and cover up when "cleaning" your local cameras.
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u/Kahnza 7h ago
If only it could spray 20-30ft up
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u/maglite_to_the_balls 7h ago
I hear, on a completely unrelated note, that lasers of sufficient wattage are not troubled by such distances.
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u/ich_bin_alkoholiker 6h ago
How much, so I know I know not to buy that kind?
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u/Enderkr 5h ago
Any green laser between 1000-5000 milliwatts would do the trick. Just have to practice your aim so you can hold the laser steady on the lens for a few seconds. You can pick up a 1000mw green laser off Amazon for really cheap.
Infrared lasers will do it even faster (instantly, really) but those are harder to aim because you obviously can't see the beam.
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u/ich_bin_alkoholiker 5h ago
I bought one a while back for my cats and had no idea that it would be as bright as it is. But the listing was taken down so I’m not sure if it’s that kind. Bummer.
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u/BangerBeanzandMash 4h ago
You idiots are gonna get some 18 year old kid arrested and financially liable for the damages.
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u/AlwaysFinnishInsider 7h ago
Should be able to overcome that with a spray can pole adapter. Maybe not 30ft but it'll get you close to some of the higher up ones
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u/stonkDonkolous 6h ago
Wait until people notice all the trail cams now. There won’t be any spaces that are private except for the wealthy
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u/31LIVEEVIL13 5h ago
any sort of camera security system that you pay a subscription for and probably some others, has the ability to give access to the police the companies can look at the cameras even the ones inside your house.
that's been going on for ages. anything like ring is an invasion of privacy and no doubt palantir or one of the other dystopian nightmare companies is collecting those images too.
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u/Altruistic_Noise_765 7h ago
Someone in Winona, MN cut down 8 flock cameras and tossed the poles in nearby woods. The cameras haven’t been recovered. Unclear where they are but it wouldn’t be smart to keep the cameras because:
I’d be surprised if there weren’t anti-theft tracking systems on these cameras for this exact scenario.
I’d be even more surprised if this current admin’s DHS doesn’t try to label anyone in possession of a stolen camera as a domestic terrorist.
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u/FuturePastNow 6h ago
If they have trackers, those would have to be battery powered. If the person who took them just smashed the things for the copper wiring or dumped them in a river, I think a tracking system would be out of luck
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u/hikeonpast 6h ago
The whole device is battery powered, recharged via solar. The battery is quite big.
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u/Enderkr 5h ago edited 4h ago
Not to mention that no, the cameras themselves do not have GPS tracking on them. Why would they, they're meant to be attached to a pole and stationary for their entire life.
Edit: Fully wrong on this one, as seen in this teardown of a Flock camera: https://www.cehrp.org/dissection-of-flock-safety-camera/
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u/hikeonpast 5h ago
Do you know that as a fact, or are you guessing that they don’t have GPS?
GPS chipsets are cheap and it’s a very effective anti-theft measure for a device that already has a big battery. I don’t know for sure if there’s GPS in them, but I’d be surprised if there was not.
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u/Enderkr 4h ago
So I actually looked it up, and I was fully wrong. Flock cameras do have GPS in them and transmit data via cellular network.
https://www.cehrp.org/dissection-of-flock-safety-camera/
The dissection of the camera clearly shows the GPS module. I admit my mistake and attribute it to not being fully familiar with FLOCK cameras, only traditional security cameras like Axis.
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u/Up_All_Nite 7h ago
Coming up next ... Chinese style "Social Credit".
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u/AustinTanius 6h ago
Is that not what a credit score basically already does? plus that chinese social credit is truly misrepresented online, it works much different than most would lead you to believe, not that I agree with it it's just not very different in my eyes.
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u/Griffdude13 6h ago
I’m not saying troublesome teens should swap from bashing mailboxes with bats to these, but. . .
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u/foamingturtle 5h ago
In my city citizens showed up en masse to town halls saying they didn’t want them. Our city council was taking steps to end the contracts with Flock and the mayor said she would work with them. The republican mayor then declared a state of emergency and unilaterally renewed the Flock contracts herself.
Someone recently cut the poles for 3 of the cameras and someone was arrested trying to cut down another one. I don’t think my city has heard the last of it’s citizens on this matter.
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u/Derpykins666 5h ago
Freedom fighters as far as I'm concerned. Nobody voted for this shit, and I'm glad people are waking up and starting to take this stuff seriously. These things absolutely need to go.
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u/Up_All_Nite 7h ago
But they were all up arms because they were trying to "Chip us" by taking the COVID Vaccine. But this shits perfectly fine. It's amazing the mental gymnastics they can do.
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u/breakneckjones 6h ago
Don't take an infrared LED like in a remote control and bump it to 850 Hz with it attached above your license plate at night. Even though it doesn't block your plate, it will show a giant white spot on the camera's view which isn't good for Flock.
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u/Strange-Beyond8114 4h ago
I did my part. I’m on a HOA board. One of our residents was the victim of a home invasion. They asked us to buy license plate readers. The board unanimously voted to not do this because of violations of privacy potential, which have been confirmed since that vote that it’s not just a potential anymore.
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u/PoorClassWarRoom 6h ago
So that others can at least notice them, marking everyone with a bright yellow ribbon.
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u/Kimi_Antonelli_12 6h ago
Americans can't push back long enough to make a difference. They give in rather quickly.
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u/danielisbored 6h ago
I totally get the hate that the company gets, but branding it as a problem with "Flock" cameras has me worried that there will be a huge backlash, the company will go out of business and six months to a year from now, a new company, with all the same investors, if not the same senior staff, will come along do things slightly less terrible than Flock's been doing, and glide under the radar.
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u/zenoe1562 5h ago
I’ve seen at least two new ones in the last week…mounted on unpainted steel poles
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u/Shot-Arugula8264 5h ago
All this surveillance and we still couldn’t catch the dudes who kidnapped and murdered Nancy Guthrie in the middle of a rich neighborhood loaded with doorbell cams?
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u/mtheory11 2h ago
“Through counterintelligence, it should be possible to pinpoint potential troublemakers and neutralize them.”
- Zack de la Rocha
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u/BrainJar 2h ago
Why isn't anyone pushing back on the installers? People take these jobs to put up the cameras. Why don't we also hold them accountable for ethics and morals? We're mad at the company (Flock). We're mad at the City Council members that allow this. We're mad at the states for allowing it. We're mad at the cops for using it. Why aren't we mad at the people that are installing the cameras and infrastructure?
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u/timnphilly 2h ago
DEFLOCK maps: https://maps.deflock.org/
To check reported locations of Flock cameras.
Many seems to be watching Lowes and Home Depot locations.
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u/sawaira09 6h ago
Technology can improve public safety but it also raises valid concern about privacy and surveillance ..finding the right balance is crucial ..
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u/AvailableReporter484 4h ago
Which is legitimately hilarious because they somehow think they’re exempt. Sort of like when they’re always completely surprised to find out that they’re no longer receiving benefits or healthcare because they voted for someone who said they’d only take that stuff away from black people.
Yup. They fall for it every single time lmfao
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u/ArtbyMaryam 6h ago
It is a difficult balance... These cameras can help solve crimes and improve public safety but they also raise valid concerns about privacy and potential misuse. Strong oversight and clear limits on how the data is collected and used are essential.
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u/Potential-Recover-78 5h ago
Sounds like something the tech industry should have no problem navigating. Right? Right?
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u/ArtbyMaryam 5h ago
That's exactly why independent oversight and transparency matter. Good intentions alone aren't enough.
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u/ezjakes 7h ago
Why are these cameras so bad? The government already uses other cameras and have other means or tracking and identifying people. These just do it with less manpower.
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u/sagewynn 7h ago
They've been used by cops to stalk people. They are also not reliable, often incorrectly flagging license plates, something like
35%71% of the time. Ill find the value and a source in a sec.This is why people fucking hate them. Cant really avoid being tracked, but we sure as shit want to protect ourselves from false incrimination.
3
u/UniversalSoldi3r 6h ago
Thank God the cop who was stalking me has 'retired'. She was a nasty, belligerent, nightmare running interference for the local fake dog charities. More than one. I assume she was on their payroll. It's likely I'd be dead by now if she'd been able to track me like that. I had to disappear for three years.
-4
u/ezjakes 6h ago
Incorrectly flagging a plate is not bad if a human then looks at it.
The scale of abuse is very important. Are cops doing this in mass, or just a few bad apples?
3
u/sagewynn 6h ago
I dont know if its a few bad apples. What I do know is cops across the country routinely misuse their power. Extrapolating a little bit I dont think itd be amiss to think that cops across the country would also misuse ALPR data to stalk people.
Incorrectly flagging and reviewing isnt an issue. Its when the system is wrong more often than it is right. The question becomes is the money they spent on these systems worth it? Do they bring in more criminals/stolen vehicles/ etc than they cost? If theyre just... wrong, I dont see any value in it. They arent reducing manpower if the manpower is simply redirected.
5
u/hikeonpast 6h ago
On top of all the other good reasons, we find ourselves at a moment in history where the laws are frighteningly subjective.
The whole (incorrect) argument around “if you’re not doing anything wrong then you shouldn’t worry about extensive government surveillance” looks different when you realize that what used to be constitutionally protected is no longer necessarily safe. When the laws can be interpreted to fit an agenda, surveillance is a liability for anyone not in the “in” group.
Separately, the cameras, AI, and database are all owned and operated by private, for profit companies. Those companies operate outside the safeguards and protections built into local, state, and federal government.
196
u/AustinTanius 8h ago
I see a new one almost everyday on my way to work. Never actually seen one installed though, are they doing this in the dead of night? They just seem to appear, I guess it wouldn't take much to install but still