comments (10)

  • This is the big problem with mass surveillance as a whole. With enough time, they'll find some pretext to bring you in, even if the original crime they want you for is weak.

    This will ruin lives, even if they're eventually let go. Jobs lost, evicted from homes, cars towed, pets surrendered and put down.

    Lives will be completely derailed, police and judges will not be held accountable. The wrongful arrestees will still be in debt to the local jail and court for various fees they racked up. Trust in the justice system will continue to degrade and more and more violence will be used against people to maintain order.

    We hold police to high standards for search/arrest because they have the monopoly on violence. Even if they're wrong, you can't shoot back. Even if they're slamming your loved ones into the pavement, breaking their teeth, you cannot kick the cop in the head or else they have permission to murder you both.

    Mass surveillance is a loophole to this contract.

    MSFT_Edging

  • Also Flock, in the past week:

    All of Winona Police Department's Flock cameras cut down and stolen

    https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49171656

    241 comments

    How Cops Are Trying to Hide Their Use of Flock

    https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49172076

    9 comments

    Flock's CEO Faced Me After Its Cameras Led to My Wrongful Stop

    https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49156650

    118 comments

    Flock – Chilling Effects: Long Island's Emerging Open-Air Prison

    https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49148541

    38 comments

    Leaked Flock Guide Shows How It Teaches Cops to Promote Its Tech

    https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49158837

    17 comments

    Cider9986

  • Based on my observations (news reports, local chatter, etc) it seems that every state that borders a state with legal Cannabis does this. Idaho does this very frequently (since just about every border is a legal source). They take advantages of the bottlenecks on highways and have cameras and/or officers there.

    If it is Flock, interagency communications, license plate readers or just "enhanced stops" for things like a crack in the windshield.

    People seem to forget that while buying in one state is legal it actually can become a much larger crime than just possession as soon as you cross state lines. It "can" become a federal matter...

    This person in the article attracted the gaze of Sauron.

    Ccecil

  • I am misunderstanding the article, if "The searches came to light in a Wisconsin criminal complaint against Edward Abrams-Phillips, who was wanted for bail jumping on domestic violence charges." he was wanted, why do they need a pretext for the stop?

    rileymat2

  • I've seen it suggested to add a warrant requirement for police to use ALPRs. A warrant requirement is not a reasonable bandaid to consider allowing mass spying. There should be no mass spying by default.

    A warrant requirement makes sense for something like the locations of customers on cellular networks, because it's built into the tech.

    When you make the optional choice to create mass spying, safeguards do not make it acceptable.

    Cider9986

  • I'm using legal liability for stalking and illegal searches as a tactic to get my town to take these down. Has anyone tried this route? https://rmnoflock.com/2026/07/29/rolling-meadows-flock-camer...

    rmnoflock

  • thangalin

  • CharlesW

  • > “Every child in this video is home tonight because Flock gave officers the right information at the right second,” ... “That’s the mission. That’s the whole company. I wouldn't trade that for anything.”

    I think it's clear that, if these things (flock cameras) continue to be a part of modern society, they need significantly higher oversight. What's painful with statements like above is that it shows that we just don't have good enough leadership to set appropriate standards for when things like flock cameras are appropriate.

    gwbas1c

  • is anyone else old enough to remember when cops first got tasers

    suddenly EVERYONE was getting tased

    it's like that

    give them a new "toy" to combat violent crime and instead it's used on everything else because zero repercussions

    I am starting to see Flock on the side of the road at every major shopping center

    unfortunately like "kavanaugh stops" I suspect the supreme court is going to put their permission into concrete regardless how they are abused

    * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kavanaugh_stop

    ck2