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Since the page is currently down and I have no idea what flocked means in the context of license plates, can I assume this is US specific?

by ifh-hn 11mo ago

reactordev 11mo ago
https://deflock.me https://deflock.me
- lillecarl 11mo ago
  This is dystopian as fuck
  - reactordev 11mo ago
    Wait till you find out about your cell phone…
- jeroenhd 11mo ago
  That website is a bit misleading, their "worldwide" map includes ALL ALPR cameras, not just the ones operated by Flock or for-profit surveillance companies. The ones on their map near my location are all for automatic license plate recognition to enter parking garages. Not exactly the dystopian nightmare their homepage warned me about.
  - hibf 11mo ago
    You assume those aren't logged and accessible by the government. They are.
    - jeroenhd 11mo ago
      Of course they are, that's how they track memberships, payment history, and that kind of stuff. Can't say I really care about a paid parking garage keeping a customer registry. I trust the government a lot more than some random third party company ("flock"), though.
      - reactordev 11mo ago
        The point isn’t what is the company doing with the data but rather how secure are these IP cameras? Some are for government spying while others are for government spying and other bad actors. I’d love to gain access to said parking garage meter camera and scan plates too, only I’m looking for high value targets that just got to work and thus, left their home. I’m looking at software used to capture, track, and pull data from all these sources in an attempt to build a dragnet like service where you can ask “where is license plate <bingo>”?
      - hibf 11mo ago
        That seems contradictory. You don't care about a parking garage operator, but at the same time distrust "some random third party company"?
KomoD 11mo ago
"Flock Safety" is a company that makes "ALPR" cameras (automated license plate recognition, in reality they go far beyond just reading license plates), they've been getting a lot of attention recently because people are worried about privacy and abuse. There's a bunch of articles about them here: https://www.404media.co/tag/flock/ https://www.404media.co/tag/flock/
- stanac 11mo ago
  I would also recommend Benn Jordan's YT channel, he has a couple of videos covering flock cameras. His latest one is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB0gr7Fh6lY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB0gr7Fh6lY edit: grammar
  - junon 11mo ago
    I love Benn Jordan. If you liked this one, go check out the one where he stores a JPEG inside of a living bird. https://youtu.be/hCQCP-5g5bo?si=K_TGBR6FNpjI0qFk https://youtu.be/hCQCP-5g5bo?si=K_TGBR6FNpjI0qFk
  - monksy 11mo ago
    Unrelated but he's been getting threats of violence. I'm not sure whats going on with that.
iso1631 11mo ago
ANPR cameras which the rest of the world (and apparently America) have had for decades have recently become big news in America, I believe because they're now being used for immigration purposes? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_number-plate_recognition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_number-plate_recogni... I'm not sure why these are so bad but generally everyone loves things like Ring cameras which do the same thing but with people rather than vehicles. I suspect there's something in the American Psyche and how they treat cars, and the inherent trust of the billionaires and distrust of "The Feds"
- rescripting 11mo ago
  It’s trivial for law enforcement to track your movement with ALPR cameras. Information feeds into a single database, paid for by law enforcement agencies, and they just connect the dots. Ring camera footage requires law enforcement to get a warrant or for individuals to give consent to supply the footage. Now tell me which system makes it easier for a cop to stalk their ex.
  - ifh-hn 11mo ago
    This comment went right off a cliff at the end...
    - saint_yossarian 11mo ago
      Why do you think so? LOVEINT is indeed a thing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LOVEINT https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LOVEINT
      - ifh-hn 11mo ago
        I know it's a thing. That was just my reaction reading the OP. First paragraph: reasonable, if ignoring that access it not likely to be unrestricted willy-nilly. Second paragraph: not as reasonable given that Amazon likely comply without issue with us intelligence, and sell the data to third parties, which the police could just buy (similar has been done) to avoid consent or legal obstacles. Third paragraph: out of nowhere, focus on police. No mention of intelligence agency staff or say Amazon staff doing the same thing. I just had a wee chuckle to myself was all.
Craighead 11mo ago
[dead]

Since the page is currently down and I have no idea what flocked means in the context of license plates, can I assume this is US specific?

by ifh-hn 11mo ago

Since the page is currently down and I have no idea what flocked means in the context of license plates, can I assume this is US specific?

reactordev 11mo ago

https://deflock.me https://deflock.me

lillecarl 11mo ago
This is dystopian as fuck
- reactordev 11mo ago
  Wait till you find out about your cell phone…
jeroenhd 11mo ago
That website is a bit misleading, their "worldwide" map includes ALL ALPR cameras, not just the ones operated by Flock or for-profit surveillance companies. The ones on their map near my location are all for automatic license plate recognition to enter parking garages. Not exactly the dystopian nightmare their homepage warned me about.
- hibf 11mo ago
  You assume those aren't logged and accessible by the government. They are.
  - jeroenhd 11mo ago
    Of course they are, that's how they track memberships, payment history, and that kind of stuff. Can't say I really care about a paid parking garage keeping a customer registry. I trust the government a lot more than some random third party company ("flock"), though.
    - reactordev 11mo ago
      The point isn’t what is the company doing with the data but rather how secure are these IP cameras? Some are for government spying while others are for government spying and other bad actors. I’d love to gain access to said parking garage meter camera and scan plates too, only I’m looking for high value targets that just got to work and thus, left their home. I’m looking at software used to capture, track, and pull data from all these sources in an attempt to build a dragnet like service where you can ask “where is license plate <bingo>”?
    - hibf 11mo ago
      That seems contradictory. You don't care about a parking garage operator, but at the same time distrust "some random third party company"?

KomoD 11mo ago

"Flock Safety" is a company that makes "ALPR" cameras (automated license plate recognition, in reality they go far beyond just reading license plates), they've been getting a lot of attention recently because people are worried about privacy and abuse. There's a bunch of articles about them here: https://www.404media.co/tag/flock/ https://www.404media.co/tag/flock/

stanac 11mo ago
I would also recommend Benn Jordan's YT channel, he has a couple of videos covering flock cameras. His latest one is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB0gr7Fh6lY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB0gr7Fh6lY edit: grammar
- junon 11mo ago
  I love Benn Jordan. If you liked this one, go check out the one where he stores a JPEG inside of a living bird. https://youtu.be/hCQCP-5g5bo?si=K_TGBR6FNpjI0qFk https://youtu.be/hCQCP-5g5bo?si=K_TGBR6FNpjI0qFk
- monksy 11mo ago
  Unrelated but he's been getting threats of violence. I'm not sure whats going on with that.

iso1631 11mo ago

ANPR cameras which the rest of the world (and apparently America) have had for decades have recently become big news in America, I believe because they're now being used for immigration purposes? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_number-plate_recognition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_number-plate_recogni... I'm not sure why these are so bad but generally everyone loves things like Ring cameras which do the same thing but with people rather than vehicles. I suspect there's something in the American Psyche and how they treat cars, and the inherent trust of the billionaires and distrust of "The Feds"

rescripting 11mo ago
It’s trivial for law enforcement to track your movement with ALPR cameras. Information feeds into a single database, paid for by law enforcement agencies, and they just connect the dots. Ring camera footage requires law enforcement to get a warrant or for individuals to give consent to supply the footage. Now tell me which system makes it easier for a cop to stalk their ex.
- ifh-hn 11mo ago
  This comment went right off a cliff at the end...
  - saint_yossarian 11mo ago
    Why do you think so? LOVEINT is indeed a thing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LOVEINT https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LOVEINT
    - ifh-hn 11mo ago
      I know it's a thing. That was just my reaction reading the OP. First paragraph: reasonable, if ignoring that access it not likely to be unrestricted willy-nilly. Second paragraph: not as reasonable given that Amazon likely comply without issue with us intelligence, and sell the data to third parties, which the police could just buy (similar has been done) to avoid consent or legal obstacles. Third paragraph: out of nowhere, focus on police. No mention of intelligence agency staff or say Amazon staff doing the same thing. I just had a wee chuckle to myself was all.

Craighead 11mo ago

[dead]