FLOCK Cameras All Over

pharmer

pharmer

Bronze Supporter
Joined
Mar 22, 2002
Messages
10,160
Reaction score
17,698
City & State/Province
28 N, 81W
This morning there was a lively discussion about FLOCK cameras in the local area on the "Nextdoor" app. Usually I am entertained by folks complaining about getting cut off in traffic, with the added license tag pic. But looking at the map there are 90 of these snoopers in my little town. The .gov says they provide a "safer community" but one 'ol boy requested video of a crash right in front of one and he was denied. At least I now know what those 2'x3' solar panels over a cam on random light poles/traffic signals are for. Been seeing them more and more this year. Guess I need to stop picking my nose at the stoplight :) Joe
 
Because they are deployed using taxpayer funds, a judge ruled that Flock Safety camera images are public records. While the public doesn't have a direct portal to search the live network, citizens can request specific data using FOIA/Public Records Requests.
 
Cities like Chandler, Scottsdale, and Tempe use the cameras. Scottsdale alone has dozens of systems installed on major thoroughfares.

Used by communities and agencies in Tucson, Yuma, Marana, and Oro Valley, including an extensive network on and around the University of Arizona campus.
You will also find Flock cameras at retail locations like Home Depot, Lowe's, and select shopping malls.

Despite their popularity for solving crimes and locating missing persons, the systems have faced heavy community pushback regarding mass surveillance and data privacy. Several cities, including Flagstaff, Sedona, and South Tucson, have already canceled their contracts and removed the technology
 
arjay said:
We have them all around here and there’s a rebellion brewing in a number of smaller cities.A lot of people don’t like the idea of overreaching surveillance
Click to expand...

Those people are realy going to love the goverment inspired equipment that is going to be in the 2027 cars. :mad:
 
I just looked up FLOCK cameras, wondering whether they were used for speed limit violations. Answer is no, they are not.

I was curious because I got nailed via camera for 43 in a 35. Got a bill in the mail along with a photo of me in my car, I paid it. But I feel it a bit unfair, like they’ve altered the traditional rules of the game. I’m supposed to watch out for cops, and cops are supposed to catch me in the act if need be. But if an open road and no cops, as long as I am safe, exercising good commonsense, what’s a few miles over?

So, I don’t like speed cameras. Seems sneaky to me! 😉

On the other hand, FLOCK cameras to monitor criminal activity, that does not bother me. And, like the poster above, I would be fine, would like, cameras monitoring my neighborhood for possible criminal activity. Would be sorta like having a policeman on the corner, a neighborhood policeman.

(I don’t worry about Big Brother at all, unlike some of us.)
 
I hope people understand this concept
of the Gov’t and Local Gov’t setting
surveillance cameras up is a continued
erosion of the U.S. Constitution 4th
Amendment.

Also there is a connection with AI/Data
Centers and this private corporate
entity Flock Cameras, and surveillance
of the public. Definitely eroding our way
of life.

Also people need to understand your
tax dollars are supporting this erosion
of the 4th Amendment. If this
bureaucracy can “Willy Nilly” spend our
Tax money on this, than our Property
Taxes can be eliminated!

I suggest contacting your Represent-
atives at Local Gov’t, State, and
Federal Gov’t. No cameras, No tax
dollars, No spending, No vote for
reelection.
 
Austin, TX turned off its cameras last year because, well, you know, Austin. In May of this year three teenagers drove around randomly shooting people, cars, fire stations, etc. Austin PD couldn't catch them. Then they made the mistake of leaving Austin city limits and as soon as they entered a neighboring town with operational FLOCK cameras they were caught immediately.

https://www.chron.com/news/article/austin-flock-crime-spree-22267297.php
 
FLOCK reads license plates. That is all. When officers are looking for a particular tag, it is uploaded to the system, and then FLOCK identifies every location that tag is "tagged" by the camera, along with a picture of the car. The "cameras" on top of traffic lights at intersections are of varying type. Some record and identify those who run a red light. Others are just monitors that recognize the presence of vehicles, but record no video, and cause the lights to change, kinda like the outdated pavement sensors do/did . . .

In towns around these parts, if there are city surveillance cameras, they are generally on city owned poles. The majority of traffic signals are owned and operated by the state highway department, and getting MODOT to cooperate in any way with anything they didn't come up with on their own is like solving the Gordian knot.

Truth be told, when looking for surveillance video, one of the first thing officers do during an investigation is go door to door in the community. Your neighbors and businesses are conducting far more video surveillance than the government is . . .
 
Muss Muggins said:
FLOCK reads license plates. That is all. When officers are looking for a particular tag, it is uploaded to the system, and then FLOCK identifies every location that tag is "tagged" by the camera, along with a picture of the car. The "cameras" on top of traffic lights at intersections are of varying type. Some record and identify those who run a red light. Others are just monitors that recognize the presence of vehicles, but record no video, and cause the lights to change, kinda like the outdated pavement sensors do/did . . .

In towns around these parts, if there are city surveillance cameras, they are generally on city owned poles. The majority of traffic signals are owned and operated by the state highway department, and getting MODOT to cooperate in any way with anything they didn't come up with on their own is like solving the Gordian knot.

Truth be told, when looking for surveillance video, one of the first thing officers do during an investigation is go door to door in the community. Your neighbors and businesses are conducting far more video surveillance than the government is . . .
Click to expand...
Its a little more than just a camera or license plate reader. They capture the car, passangers, any stickers/roof racks/bike racks....anything identifiable AND compile that data to give your entire history. It will tell what you did all day (depending on the amount of cameras in your area). Its basically someone following you around all day and recording your movement.

Remember the Super bowl Amazon ring commercial fiasco? If you dont know, Amazon partnered with Flock to introduce Flocks surveillance into your doorbell camera. That way if a neighbor is missing his dog data from all cameras can locate it. of course you have full control of the data but its automatically set to share and you have to know about it, then find it in your settings somewhere in order to turn it off. Assuming it actually turns off. And Flcok's CEO said that dogs were just the beginning. The idea is to find anyone (by the trusted authorities of course). In other words, no privacy.

But wait, theres more.....Leonardo. Its has a separate product called SignalTrace that scans for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and RFID signals to create "electronic fingerprints" that are linked to license plates. And they dont need a camera to do it. Flock’s hardware does not currently include this device-tracking capability but I bet theyre on it.

But wait, there's even more. "The capability that should worry people most isn’t a phone sniffer it’s a search box. Internal Flock materials obtained by 404 Media describe a product, “Nova,” built to “jump from license plate to person” by fusing camera data with commercial data-broker records. (404 Media.) Flock publicly said Nova would not use hacked or dark-web data; an independent review of the product’s code reported a data source labeled “Dark Data” with fields for Social Security and credit-card numbers. That gap — between what the company says and what its own code appears to do — is the story. It needs no embellishment."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top