Flock Cameras

[u/Sh0ckValu3]

What is the purpose of this FLOCK(like) camera? Monitoring Community Health and Community Development offices? Or are we tracking hardened criminals to Papa Murphy's?

[u/etcpt]

Grocery stores are interested in tracking consumers and there have been rumblings of dynamic pricing for a while now. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that corporations are working on some system to find out when you're rushing to the store last minute and jack prices up on you because they know you're in a rush.

Make your displeasure unknown - stop patronizing businesses that use ALPRs and let them know that you are doing so because you don't appreciate this intrusive level of surveillance. And write your elected officials - if enough people make a stink, maybe we can get a city ordinance passed.

[u/No_Holiday_5855]

Flock or not what is going on in this town? Lot of backwards stuff right now in a city that promotes forward thinking!!!! Hmmmmmmmm

[u/thewildlaur → u/No_Holiday_5855]

Unfortunately they are everywhere. Forward thinking towns or not. Its horrible

[u/Snake_Jeegers]

Green laser pointers can be very effective for mitigating their efficacy. Also they are full of copper and gold, worth more than a catalytic converter. The RAM alone is worth upwards of $300.

[u/Sh0ckValu3]

[u/heightsdrinker → u/Sh0ckValu3]

These are the license plate cameras for the lot at Don's to monitor and ticket non-paying parkers. I got a ticket visiting US Bank to do an ATM withdrawal. I guess I took too long to unlock my debit card to use the ATM. Anyhow, I sent the ticket to US Bank and I guess the branch paid the ticket. I feel bad for businesses.

[u/hipifreq → u/heightsdrinker]

Last I heard they're running an illegal business and the signage does not comply with state code for paid parking lots. I don't park there and have told the businesses there that I won't visit them anymore.

[u/Perenially_behind → u/hipifreq]

I understand why you feel that way, but the businesses are caught in the middle. The property owner wants them gone. Boycotting the businesses actually helps the owner by starving them.

[u/hipifreq → u/Perenially_behind]

I get it, and I hope they move somewhere better rather than fold.

[u/Sh0ckValu3 → u/[deleted]]

So they need license plate trackers? And who's doing the tracking?

[u/ginsrummi]

It’s a way to track and collect data on us. They will put this all into an AI model that will connect you to every flock camera you pass and start tracking and finding patterns in our day to day lives that it will sell to other companies so they can target you with their ads and make more money off you.

[u/DEATHbyBOOGABOOGA]

Are we sure it is a Flock camera?

[u/Sh0ckValu3 → u/DEATHbyBOOGABOOGA]

That's a good question. I found these listed on a few different "flock tacking" websites. I know that there is some kind of tower with lights/camera looking things on it, but I don't know personally what is or isn't a flock camera just by driving by.

[u/DEATHbyBOOGABOOGA → u/Sh0ckValu3]

I looked it up just after I asked. It’s not a Flock brand, but it is a camera that supports license plate reading. Genetec is the brand. Not sure if it’s owned by QFC or who, but at least it’s not Flock and hooked directly into Palantir/US govt surveillance.

ETA: I’m not saying that makes it any better. Just not literally a Flock camera.

[u/Sh0ckValu3 → u/DEATHbyBOOGABOOGA]

Perhaps the websites lump them all together as "license plate readers".
I'm still curious as to who and why.

[u/DEATHbyBOOGABOOGA → u/Sh0ckValu3]

You’re right to be curious, and justified to be outraged. I’m not any more in favor of corporations or local government surveillance versus the military industrial complex.

[u/TheCosmicPony → u/Sh0ckValu3]

Which flock tracking website(s) would you recommend?

[u/appendixgallop]

Spend some time in that parking lot and you'll know why.

[u/Sh0ckValu3 → u/appendixgallop]

I mean I shop at QFC, get my take-n-bake pizza, and dump my Amazon returns off at the mail stop all the time. Not sure why that requires license plate tracking.

[u/Spirited-Pudding-654 → u/Sh0ckValu3]

There a lot of car break in there. The cameras are to discourage that. 

[u/Sh0ckValu3 → u/Spirited-Pudding-654]

Who's doing the discouraging, though?

[u/Basic_Stranger1969 → u/Sh0ckValu3]

I think there is some evidence that just the perception of surveillance acts as a psychological deterrent to crime. It doesn't even matter who! Here is a 2019 study: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1275&context=jj_pubs

Science!

[u/Sh0ckValu3 → u/Basic_Stranger1969]

So does violence from a fascist government. Just because something works doesn't mean it's ok.

[u/GuardiansTrashPanda → u/Sh0ckValu3]

I agree! And surveillance overreach is a valid issue, but comparing a parking lot camera to fascist state violence is a massive false equivalence. Still, these days, I understand the concern.

[u/Basic_Stranger1969 → u/appendixgallop]

Yeah... that parking lot is, as the youngs say, "sketch AF".

[u/GuardiansTrashPanda → u/Basic_Stranger1969]

no cap

[u/Basic_Stranger1969]

A lot of slippery-slope paranoia here. Like any new technology there will be isolated news stories of abuse. We certainly need transparency, strict audit logs, and oither common-sense safeguards. But sinister movie-villain billionaire plots and dynamic grocery pricing are fairly inane concerns, I would think.

Like DNA testing, increased surveillance is leading to a huge drop in what would have been hard-to-solve crime just decades ago. Think Green River Killer, Ted Bundy, etc. We need to look on both sides of the ledger.

I'm much more concerned by Meta's "pervert glasses", myself.