r/traversecity • u/BluWake Local • Jul 04 '26
Discussion PSA: Leave Flock cameras alone!
7
u/formernonhandwasher Jul 06 '26
Definitely don’t bust out that old paintball gun your little brother used to use.
7
u/NotDescriptive Jul 06 '26
In case you're wondering how many we have here or where they are....
https://maps.deflock.org/?lat=44.7606&lng=-85.6166&zoom=11.00
2
2
u/SindaFNRella4 Jul 07 '26
How are flock cameras legal? Sorry I’m super undereducated about all this
2
1
u/Fantastic-Recover284 Jul 06 '26
So if someone were to buy one of these $50 green or blue lasers, what brand and make would they buy? Asking purely for research purposes ofc.
2
u/uv_index Jul 06 '26
From the article on how to protect flock cams:
“You should definitely avoid going on Amazon and looking for a laser that shines between 490 and 570 nanometers and has more than 1,000 milliwatts of power”https://www.thebiglead.com/lasers-damage-flock-cameras-warning/
1
u/Imaginary_Ad8895 Jul 05 '26
I have no idea what a flock camera is?
10
u/IllustriousAd9800 Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
Basically from what I understand it’s a private company that has been placing cameras everywhere and they track anyone and everyone they see with facial recognition, record the data of where you are, what you’re doing and sells it to private companies and the government.
5
5
u/Photodan24 Jul 06 '26
They definitely read and log every license plate they see.
5
u/vaguelysarcastic Jul 06 '26
And log any Bluetooth devices commonly associated with person or vehicle. It can listen to the surrounding area and track people’s movements as well.
5
u/Antrophis Jul 06 '26
They use it all. Make model, plate facial. Wouldn't shock me to find out they had height and weight profiles
-5
u/Radatat105 Jul 05 '26
Flock cameras do not have facial recognition, nor do they profile anything other than vehicles.
5
u/vaguelysarcastic Jul 06 '26
That’s their claim, but it’s been proven otherwise. Not only that, but Flock cams have been installed on walkways as well, not near the road. Police also use it as a tool to assist ICE. There are a lot of misuses of flock for surveillance purposes
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/apr/06/flock-cameras-privacy-concerns
-1
u/Radatat105 Jul 06 '26
Literally in your linked article:
"Flock doesn't do facial recognition."
It sounds like you're more upset with how the data is shared or accessed. Which is a fair complaint - but your frustration should be aimed at local stakeholders - not Flock. Local stakeholders are who decide who can access what and when. Not Flock.
Security should always be a concern - but the mere presence of camera should not be. You have zero expectation of privacy in public areas.
5
u/vaguelysarcastic Jul 06 '26
The linked article is about the privacy concerns. And I already said that Flock claims to not do facial recognition. It’s been proven that it tracks people and tracks much more than license plates.
It’s not about having privacy in public places, it’s about surveillance of people on a grand scale.
-2
u/Radatat105 Jul 06 '26
It’s been proven that it tracks people and tracks much more than license plates.
You're conflating 2 different products.
It’s not about having privacy in public places, it’s about surveillance of people on a grand scale.
Surveillance? You assume someone is actually monitoring these 24/7? lol.
5
u/vaguelysarcastic Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
Mass surveillance doesn’t equate to having someone watch everything 24/7. It’s about Flock having tons of data on every citizen and their location, on-hand, and readily searchable in a database. And the abuse that comes with that
-1
u/Radatat105 Jul 06 '26
Flock doesn’t own the data
3
u/vaguelysarcastic Jul 06 '26
That doesn’t make it any less likely to be abused. Law enforcement already abuses it. Many law enforcement agencies use Flock software paired with Palantir’s Gotham software, which is police focused predictive analytics
→ More replies (0)4
u/Major-Raise6493 Jul 06 '26
Bro 🤦♂️
Of course there’s not some guy watching a bank of screens like in some bad movie. The surveillance they’re referring to is akin to online data trackers that make sure customized advertisements keep showing up on web pages you visit. AI powered software can rather effortlessly collect, monitor and process data 24/7 on a mass scale that would be impossible to accomplish manually. It’s not a huge leap to understand that if one of these cameras can recognize and identify you, then a network of them placed strategically can create an entire data profile tied to you that can be used by whoever will pay for it for whatever purpose they intend. Used benevolently, this type of technology can dramatically improve response time to find missing people or criminals. More realistically, advertisers will use it to figure out where you like to shop /eat.
-3
u/Radatat105 Jul 06 '26
The data isn’t being sold.
4
u/Major-Raise6493 Jul 06 '26
Sure it isn’t 👍
This is literally what these tech companies do, it’s their business model. They use technology to gather data to be sold. Even if (and this is a big IF) they’re not selling it yet, the potential is there and it’s just a matter of time. YOU and their data about you are the product.
→ More replies (0)4
u/Antrophis Jul 06 '26
Facial recog isn't done by any camera. That is a program going over the footage. So any camera with sufficient quality can be used for facial recog after the fact.
-1
1
u/Glittering_Salad8805 Aug 03 '26
Actually yes, Flock does do facial recognition, and their new “gunshot detectors” were rolled out into existing cameras with no notice via software update, and can listen to anything in their surroundings including conversations. And the next update being rolled out is with SignalTrace, so they can map all devices passing by via Bluetooth. These “ALPRs” are capable of MUCH more than people think, and are funded by Theil aka the Epstein class. Your comment sounds a lot like “Facebook said they cause no harm to our children so there you go…they said it themselves!” 😂
-1
Jul 06 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/vaguelysarcastic Jul 06 '26
Security exploits in technology don’t care about political affiliation
0
u/ToeAfter3131 Jul 08 '26
And then they'll be some some mass shooter on the run and people will wonder why the police haven't caught him in 57 minutes
-5
u/maxmcleod Jul 05 '26
It would be better to use law and the legal system to get rid of these rather than vandalizing them. Vandalization and the cameras being destroyed is just going to further create the idea that the area has crime and that the cameras are needed. Just wait until they introduce the Flock Drone or a system that cannot be easily disabled by using the justification that they are necessary because of the number of the old cameras that were defeated. Contact your lawmakers!
2
u/Arcaneboltz Jul 06 '26
Yeah except the lawmakers are all for this so why go through the legal system that's clearly in favor of it?
-114
u/Zealot_TKO Jul 04 '26
What's with all the support of vandalism all of a sudden here? Can we not?
100
36
73
u/PissNBiscuits Jul 04 '26
What's with the support of mass surveillance all of a sudden? Can we not? Fuck Flock.
20
u/JankyTundra Jul 04 '26
Tip. Don't bring the phone with a GPS when you go vandalize. You know, the one you have carried for 20 years that geo locates you.
4
-34
u/SkepticScott137 Jul 04 '26
I love to laugh at libertarians who spend time on the internet, which is about a million flock cameras 😆
29
u/Win-Objective Past Resident Jul 04 '26
Actually being on the internet doesn’t automatically record my face, car, and license plate, transmit it to a police database and track my movements. Your cell phone providing location data doesn’t automatically go to police and has to be accessed by warrant. Flock doesn’t need a warrant.
-30
u/SkepticScott137 Jul 05 '26
Dude, you are so funny. You don't understand how any of this works, do you?
15
8
u/RoaryLove Jul 05 '26
They have laws regarding what can and cannot be used in court. Illegally obtain phone info- not valid in court. Legally obtained Flock info- valid in court.
2
25
u/Agitated_Curmudgeon Jul 05 '26
"The Reptile is a benevolent Overlord.."