- Halloween posts call for Flock cameras to be targeted, but no leader has emerged.
- Flock cameras aid investigations while recording the movements of ordinary drivers.
- New safeguards have not stopped the backlash against widespread plate-reader surveillance.
Sketchy stuff often goes down on Halloween, but this year things could be particularly interesting. A call is bouncing around the internet focusing on the masked holiday as the perfect time for privacy advocates to disable or damage Flock Safety and other ALPR cameras. Perhaps the costumes, darkness, and crowds will provide cover. At the same time, the entire idea is a quick way to turn a protest into vandalism charges.
It’s unclear who kicked off the idea, which will be a key detail shortly, but it does appear to be building support. Privacy advocates say that the cameras are a violation of the Fourth Amendment, as the photos they save can provide detailed information about an innocent person’s travel habits and location. In addition, there have been plenty of cases of misuse by police and known security vulnerabilities with the cameras.
More: Air Force Engineer Allegedly Cut Down 13 Flock Cameras Before A Camera Caught Him
Citizens across the USA have already been accused and arrested as suspects in acts of vandalism against the cameras. That said, Halloween night could pretty easily become much ado about nothing for Flock Safety and other ALPR brands like Axon and Motorola. At this point, it’s less of an organized movement than a viral idea. There’s no clear leader, list of planned events, or real indication that anyone intends to follow through.
Cybernews found that the idea might have begun on Facebook around August 7. There, users mention the idea before it picked up steam thanks to larger accounts like Polymarket posting about it. Still, the anger behind it didn’t come from nowhere.
Flock says it has deployed more than 120,000 cameras in 49 states. Its automated license plate readers log a vehicle’s plate, location, timestamp, color, make, model, and other visual characteristics. Police can search that data during an investigation or receive alerts for vehicles tied to reported crimes. Importantly, those cameras don’t account for those owned and operated by Axon, Motorola, and other brands. Halloween vandalism is a dumb answer. But this whole episode shows just how badly ALPR brands have lost control of the conversation.
Credit: Flock Safety
