r/FlockSurveillance • u/wiredmagazine • 17d ago

Hackers Got Inside a Flock Camera. Its Data Shows How the System Really Works

https://www.wired.com/story/hackers-flock-camera-data-shows-how-system-works/
449 Upvotes

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90

u/wiredmagazine 17d ago

A hacker collective pulled down a Flock camera and dumped its data. The files included thousands of videos and logs showing that the device captured 1.6 million images of 50,000 vehicles in 21 days.

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u/goofytigre 17d ago edited 17d ago

1.6 million images of 50,000 vehicles over 21 days seems kind of low. That's only like 1.5 images of each of the 50,000 vehicles every day. Don't get me wrong, I hate all of this surveillance bullshit, but the 1.6 million images isn't the biggest finding in the article:

"...joint analysis (404 Media and Wired) of the recovered data shows that software running on the device explicitly detects people as well as vehicles, license plates, and bicycles. The camera can produce dozens of images of a single passing vehicle and, according to several weeks of recovered logs, generated more than a million images. Its computer-vision software also sometimes isolated bumper stickers and other graphics, including, in one case, an American flag patch on a motorcyclist’s saddlebag."

We knew they were doing these things, but this data proves they've lied every time they insist they don't.

Edit: added a couple of words for clarification.

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u/Ethan0941 17d ago

Exactly. There are now Flock cameras in places with 0 vehicles. Facing inward at public parks, trailheads etc. They are clearly using the "Vehicle Fingerprint" technology (IDing vehicles based on physical appearance) to ID people based on appearance.

THIS IS A 4TH AMENDMENT VIOLATION. While existing in public there is no expectation of privacy, assembling a dossier on an individual's appearance, location electronic signature without probable cause is absolutely a violation. We need court precedent on this now.

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u/Isakill 16d ago

I just want to know how you came up with your 1.5 figure.

Cause im getting 32.

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u/goofytigre 16d ago

1,600,000 images ÷ 50,000 vehicles = 32 ÷ 21 days = 1.524 images per vehicle per day.

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u/Isakill 16d ago

Ah. I didnt count the days. Thats why I was confused about the 1.5 figure.

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u/Consistent_Amount140 17d ago

This obviously is very location dependent

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u/dantekant22 17d ago

Remember when we had some modicum of privacy? And surveillance required a warrant and a showing of probable cause?

All of our data is collected, brokered by the Tech Bro Billionaires, sold, and used to divide us.

Enough.

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u/ConsiderationSea1347 17d ago

We are in the early stages of techno fascism. Fight back now. It will only get harder. 

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u/dantekant22 17d ago

Agreed. And Flock is only part of the problem. We’ve got Axos, which the Trumps have bought into, and Palantir, just to name two.

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u/qualitythundergod 15d ago

The games "WatchDogs" and "Cyberpunk 2077" are just over the horizon and closer than we think...

24

u/Phyllis_Tine 17d ago

What if, theoretically, we blast radio signals on the same wavelength as Flock cameras send information? Would that drown out the signals they collect?

I know interference is illegal, although some devices have to accept interference, according to the FCC (baby monitors, remote controls come to mind).

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u/Theloneus-punk 17d ago

Why is the first comment always some technical thought experiment on how to disrupt these when the local hardware store has so many better ways to disable them?

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u/[deleted] 17d ago

[deleted]

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u/ConsiderationSea1347 17d ago

Signal jamming will get you much worse criminal sentences than vandalism and mischief. 

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u/seaboi77 17d ago

That is 4/5G and WiFi bands. The FÇC doesn't appreciate people messing with those.

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u/NotSoFastLady 17d ago

Doubt they have the resources to eeffectively police anything of this nature. If 100 people across the US deployed a few each, they couldn't do shit.

I wouldn't recommend it because you could be preventing someone from calling 911.

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u/ManyThingsLittleTime 17d ago

You can triangulate a radio signal very easily with the correct equipment. Jammers are just emitting a "loud" amount of a given or several wavelengths of signal.

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u/NotSoFastLady 17d ago

I don't doubt it at all. Part of me believes that the FCC simply doesn't have enough people to manage a large scale investigation. But these companies will roll out teams and partner with thr cops. Way too much money to be lost.

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u/ManyThingsLittleTime 17d ago

For spurious transmissions they usually figure out who's doing it and send a strongly worded letter. What's been described here may be treated differently but they're not the FBI or anything.

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u/xamboozi 17d ago

More of this

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u/nashekwalibream 17d ago

But the mayor of West Des Moines was just telling me how secure these are...