People can sense the system is rigged against them. They may blame different parties, policies, races, etc. But there is a lot of anger in the air. The US is quickly becoming a polarized powder keg more so than I can remember at any time in my life.
Flock cameras and AI are seen as tools of those whom they blame (rightfully so). It’s a rare physical manifestation of this rigged system that is pointed directly at you as you go about your life.
If we as a society were really against surveillance there would be a huge movement against Ring doorbells, microphones in TVs, our phones recording us, etc. But those devices are mundane and we interact with them. Which puts people at ease and placates the majority of people.
Flock has none of that, it’s a symbol of oppression from a system that wants to control us.
Fun fact you should share with everyone, there’s as much platinum in a flock camera as there is in a catalytic converter.
Awareness, the “I have nothing to hide” types slowly awakened (I used to be one of them), false arrests, etc.
I thought it was interesting that even in the most rural parts of Cali, I saw anti-flock billboards up along the 99 this weekend. It’s quite a unifying factor here.
Here in South Africa, they’re rolling out similar surveillance infrastructure.
Not as advanced as flock, but invasive enough. Protected by “but, crime”. Backlash isn’t widespread enough yet.
It’s called Vumacam. Their CEO is literally called Richard Croock. Dick Crook is meant to help stop crime in South Africa. Fucking kak movie.
The country is going through a brutal energy crisis, but no, it’s okay we can leave the cameras and the data processing centres on because they solve a negligible amount of crime, sometimes.
I can ramble on about this, but I just want to say, if it means anything, that I am proud of you Americans standing up to this bullshit. Sometimes using those things as literal target practice. Gives me hope in humanity.
It reflects overall anger at a system that uses faceless, soulless tools of mass surveillance and oppression, EXPLICITLY to our detriment.
In practice, all this surveillance and tracking bullshit will NEVER be used to assist you. And they stole our fucking money to build the system while suppressing our wages
They stole our content too.
I just feel like posting this completely unrelated story on every automated traffic camera thread, I can’t understand why I feel this compulsion.
https://cybernews.com/editorial/israel-hacked-iran-traffic-cameras-us-war/
Leave up the cameras in DC!
We’re tired of all the bullshit in a system that seeks to bleed us dry at every turn.
I wish we’d seen the same outcry from the patriot act, flock is just a money grab, FT Meade already knows EVERYTHING about you
Are you guys seeing this? In my locale I see no protests, bumper stickers, local news coverage, nothing. Just more and more cameras coming up. I used to drive by four, now drive by six on way to work.
Have to ever been to a meeting of your local council? Have to gone door to door to talk to your neighbors about it? It took years of effort to remove them here.
I’ve seen yard signs related to data center push back near me. It’s anecdotal, but I’ve heard others speak about the cameras around here in negative ways (it was at a haircut!). It seems subdued, but I suspect there’s much more on people’s minds, they just aren’t letting it be known.
