Full transcript
Flock cameras are probably the most
unpopular technology going in America
right now. I don't know if you all have
seen just the absolute mass of backlash
against the company and the surveillance
state, but there's a new reason to be
disgusted or at least disturbed by Flock
cameras. So, for the uninitiated, Flock
cameras are positioned all over the
country. There are millions of them
installed often,
you know, behind closed doors. Uh
citizens have not voted to have that
sort of surveillance. Law enforcement
and city councils will just create a
contract with these companies and then
use that to follow people. Um well, this
week there was a new usage case that
people are turning their backs on. In
Michigan, a man was pulled over for
having crossed state lines under the
assumption of going to buy marijuana. He
was later charged after his car was
searched and he did have marijuana, but
this is sort of creating a precedent
where anytime you travel to a state that
has different laws than yours, which in
a country as big as the United States is
pretty common, you could be seen as a
criminal and no longer innocent until
proven guilty. So, 404 was carrying the
story, but as I was saying earlier,
yeah, this is just an ongoing issue with
Flock cameras and the general public,
which is sort of creating an environment
where everyday people are under
suspicion
and being surveilled without any any way
giving,
you know, consent to to be surveilled.
So, it's very, very fraught
right now and I I just wanted to
highlight a few other instances of Flock
cameras being hated publicly. Um
So, this is from Huntington. I'm not
exactly Oh, West Virginia. So, that's
exciting.
The the Virginians are fighting back
against Flock and this was a local man's
take at the city council meeting um,
about Flock cameras.
But, one last thing.
Every single Flock camera has about two
to three pounds of copper and about one
to two grams of gold.
Do with that information what you will.
Okay, so [laughter]
the implication here being that, you
know, you should just go and rob the
cameras [laughter]
at night. I know
Which we absolutely do not endorse as
your news [laughter] network. Do not do
that.
The more you know, you know what I mean?
The more you know. Oh my gosh. I mean,
I'm curious if you all have in your own
personal lives seen friends or neighbors
or even just in your own community seen
people fighting back against these
cameras because it just seems like every
day there's an additional story of
people being furious, being tired of it,
wanting to run them out of town, or you
know, rob them blind. Yeah.
like the biggest problem with this,
especially with like the Flock as like a
license plate reader, is it's not just
like checking one plate connected to a
crime. They are building a searchable
record of where people travel and how
frequently they go there. And we're
seeing that in the age of AI, so many of
these companies being propped up whose
sole business model is tracking American
people. Like what
How do we call ourselves a free country
when the surveillance state is growing
to this extent? I remember how people
were pissed off about the Patriot Act.
This is the Patriot Act on steroids.
Yes. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, to that
end I have um, I have a little a one
more thing to show you all.
Uh, and then
uh, I would love to get your take Cat.
So, this is just uh, the the headline
which actually I may have to
Dang, it's gone. Okay, so this this went
away when I was
[laughter]
when I was disappeared to the another
realm. But, in any case, you know, there
there have been um, so many articles
written um, and cases just exposed of
like law enforcement stalking exes, um,
following women across state lines to,
you know, under the idea that perhaps
they went to get an abortion or
reproductive care. Um, so, yeah, Kat,
what have you been hearing about Flock
cameras?
Oh, yeah. It seems that the primary
purpose of Flock cameras and law
enforcement thus far is just to surveil
women, whether that's because it's an
underage girl getting an abortion or
because a cop just wants to stalk some
woman he saw at a party. We already have
so many documented cases of this, and
this is exactly why in the past and even
to this day, when we talk about
surveillance, people will say like,
"Well, I don't do anything illegal, so
why should it bother me?" Or like,
"Well, if you're not doing anything
wrong, then why are you worried?" They
forget that cops are not moral neutral
arbiters of justice. Cops have higher
than average rates among the general
population of domestic violence. Like,
these people who have access to these
Flock cameras are not necessarily using
that surveillance power for the greater
good, and we're all endangered by the
increased presence of this surveillance.
The only good news about Flock cameras
is that people hate them so much. I feel
like it's it's a it's a dead race
between data centers and Flock cameras
as to what is producing more of these
clips at city council meetings. But,
yeah, this surveillance culture
basically can only endanger people
further. It doesn't keep us safe. All it
does is give the state even more power
to infringe on our rights.
Yeah. I mean, that's the real point that
I wanted to get to is like, there hasn't
been, uh, you know, a slew of evidence
that anyone is safer because of this,
that's crimes have been solved because
of this. Um, and if anything, it's just
criminalizing a general public that
otherwise would just be left alone. Like
finding a guy who has weed in his car
because he went to Michigan where it's
legal is not keeping anyone safe. It's
not solving the missing children crisis.
You know what I mean? Like none of these
things are coming to an end because of
these Flock cameras. It's simply
profiling
and surveillance. And so I, you know, it
is the Patriot Act on steroids. I don't
think I mean it's very unpopular among
the general public. I do think that, you
know, data centers have a worse rap just
cuz they're there's more information
about them and they're actively trying
to become a thing in everyone's
neighborhood.
Um
the Flock cameras as they become more
well known and not in a good way, uh I
think are not far behind. Um and so I do
think that, you know, when we talk about
2028, when we talk about the future of
politics in this country, like the
biggest contingent of voters is anti-AI,
anti-data center, anti-Flock cameras. So
if we can all just come together around
that, I think
you know, we'll figure out the other
details.
Yeah, and we know any politician who
takes a hard stance against this type of
surveillance is going to be
characterized as pro-crime or wanting to
increase more crime in this country. But
I honestly think we should let the
Republicans own, yes, I'm
pro-surveillance state. I want to
increase the draconian areas of the
government that are trying to monitor
everything that you do in your life.
Let's completely get rid of the argument
that Republicans are limited government
or they care about civil rights and the
rights of the individual. They don't
give a about any of that. If they
endorse things like Flock cameras that
are literally watching you everywhere
you go.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
And with a fascist government in charge,
you can be labeled a terrorist or an
enemy of the state like that for
something you post online, like an
opinion you share on social media. So
there's absolutely no world in which any
of this makes anyone safer. All it does
is open us up to more targeting,
harassment, and surveillance.
Mhm.
Have you guys seen the clips of like the
the Flock employees getting filmed as
they're leaving the facility and how
pissed they are at people? So, like that
should tell you everything that you need
to know. Like the people who are trying
to create more surveillance for you hate
being surveilled by the average
population. And like it it it's so it's
ridiculous.
Yeah.
I mean, no one likes being surveilled.
Yeah, there was another story recently
where it was just like you could hack
into it. So, the the
the general public can gain access to
stalking other people. Like where is the
benefit? Where like I'm curious what
they're selling to these city
governments that is making I mean, maybe
that's like they're paying them to be
installed, but it's like I just don't
know. It it's so unpopular that at this
point it it's kind of like a fool's
errand to try to make this stuff
palatable to the general populace.
Just think of how much money advertisers
could make if they can watch where you
spend your money and where you shop.
Exactly.
many profits.
Mhm.
America.