Flock announces changes amid backlash over its license plate reader network

https://apnews.com/article/flock-license-plate-cameras-surveillance-deflock-2a93bc075e2f7ffcca9e04a35d75a3fe

PR damage control in full effect, theyre hurting! Keep cutting!

143 points · 24 comments · view on lemmy.world

24 Comments

archchan@lemmy.ml · 68 pts · 29d (3 replies)

Typical. Corp does evil, people get wise to it and take action, politicians and advocacy groups like the ACLU call for some "adequate safety measures", and corp does damage control. The cameras stay up, the network expands, and a future OTA update rolls back whatever concessions the corp and cops made now after giving the frogs time boil.

Well I don't want "adequate safety measures". I don't care about the "balancing act" between surveillance police state tech and privacy that this article mentioned. There is no compromise. These cameras should not exist and anything less is unacceptable.

MagicShel@lemmy.zip · 17 pts · 29d (1 reply)

Oops! There was a regression error and we accidentally rolled back the privacy mitigation! And we'll accidentally do it again later, too.

Aqivex@fedinsfw.app · 7 pts · 29d

will make what were once optional guardrails mandatory for its users to implement by Jan. 1.

Jan. 1.

It's more insulting than that. They're hedging their bets that they won't have to do it at all in the first place, first.

Their fascist die roll doesn't land, then they can swap to the standard corpo bullshit described above.

SCmSTR@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 28d

Evil PEOPLE do evil shit. Don't let these criminals escape into the aether.

frongt@lemmy.zip · 32 pts · 29d

Oh look, it works. Keep going.

givesomefucks@lemmy.world · 21 pts · 29d

If they only fix shit after we complain, then they'll only fix the things we know to complain about...

If they didn't think this would be a problem, we can't trust anything this company does, or any company that hires them after they go bankrupt.

DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 29d

Nah. Nothing will actually change. They'll just lie.

HootinNHollerin@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 15 pts · 29d

Chop em all

Tango@piefed.ca · 13 pts · 29d (3 replies)

The whole Luigi Mangione thing isn't helping them, since the only reason he got caught was an extensive surveillance camera network. Well, that and a snitch. But yeah, ever since Mangione got caught, it seems to me that the anti-CCTV sentiment has been growing.

mctoasterson@reddthat.com · 2 pts · 28d (1 reply)

That and he was apparently dumb enough to not ditch the designed-to-be-disposable weapon that was used.

decolo@piefed.social · 5 pts · 28d

Rather, he did, but they found it and put it back in his bag while they were digging around in it off camera for half an hour

EveryMuffinIsNowEncrypted@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 29d

Snitches get stitches.

lookingforanALFpolycule@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 28d (1 reply)

This is the third article I see where they name it a “license plate reading network” which it is not. Some panicked rebranding going on.

Joeffect@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 28d

Of course it is...

But also a Bluetooth tracking network, A face tracking network, a wifi tracking network, a stalking network, a get your identity wrong network, a illegal surveillance network...

And so on...

They just leave out everything else

DarkFuture@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 29d

Let me guess. They're going to change the look of their camera models now that everyone knows what they look like.

Tollana1234567@lemmy.today · 9 pts · 28d

its going to be axon cameras,

MushuChupacabra@piefed.world · 9 pts · 29d

Flock Surveillance State announces pretend changes amid backlash over its license plate reader network

58008@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 29d (1 reply)

Possibly a stupid question: I know it's illegal to cover (or just not have) license plates, but this seems to only be so that they can be read by cops on the ground. Could you add little canopies to your plate so that they can be read by anyone on ground level, but not by surveillance cameras up on lampposts etc.? Or add an electronic screen in front of them that's transparent to the naked eye, but when recorded, has a weird distorting effect that garbles the image? Pretty out-there idea, but "would it be legal if it were possible?" is my main question.

Sidyctism2@discuss.tchncs.de · 2 pts · 28d

Benn jordan on youtube has made a video where he uses small random paintdots on a licenseplate to confuse licenseplate readers. Dont remember the name of the video though. And most likely illegal if actually deployed

orbituary@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 8 pts · 29d

Oh! I super-duper believe you!

W3dd1e@lemmy.zip · 7 pts · 28d

In the state of Missouri farm trucks don’t need to have a license plate. Be sure to commit all your crimes in a farm truck.

CorrectAlias@piefed.blahaj.zone · 5 pts · 29d

I went to Flock Depot yesterday to buy a bracket that only they had, expecting to be flocked. But I was happy to see that someone cut the cameras right off of the poles.

Brkdncr@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 29d

How do you fix “incompetent c-suite, spaghetti code, civil rights lawsuit beacon”

Malyca@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 29d

Oh the cops will investigate themselves, I'm sure that's never gone sideways.