5 ms·

Flock worker calls police on investigator filming public camera installation

55 points by driverdan 19d ago

jqpabc123 19d ago
So they can film you but you can't film them? Double standard much?
- 0utcast 19d ago
  Yep they hate having a camera in their face, how ironic
FireBeyond 19d ago
I despise Flock. Have had plenty to say. But I suspect -this- was the reason, moreso than the filming the installation: > As Keefe began to shoot video, the installer saw him and immediately packed up his equipment and drove away, so Keefe also returned to his car and followed several cars behind, hoping to document the next stop. Not to say the installer wouldn't have anyway, but it's not inherently unreasonable to call 911 when someone is obviously following you.
- ButlerianJihad 19d ago
  > call 911 It is unreasonable, because 911 is for emergencies where life or property is imminently threatened. If you believe someone is watching and following you, then you can call the non-emergency number. Or your mom.
  - 1659447091 19d ago
    > If you believe someone is watching and following you, then you can call the non-emergency number. They can also drive to a police/fire station
  - cpburns2009 19d ago
    This is actually something I've wondered about. What is the non-emergency number?
    - ninju 19d ago
      You might have to google it because it's not standardized across the country https://www.google.com/search?q=police+non+emergency+number+in+my+area https://www.google.com/search?q=police+non+emergency+number+...
    - dghlsakjg 19d ago
      It’s just a regular phone number, so it depends what department you are trying to call. Google or a phone book is what you need.
      - dlcarrier 18d ago
        It's usually on the web page of the local police or sheriff department.
      - cpburns2009 17d ago
        How do you know what number to Google? Here's a real example. The day after a storm I noticed a tree leaning on a powerline. This was ~20 miles from where I live in a different county and township. If I hadn't already lived in that area before, I would have no clue who it call. 911 isn't appropriate because it's not an emergency... but that does need to get fixed.
        ButlerianJihad 17d ago
        That's a 3-1-1, good buddy Or you can ask an LLM for some guidance.
        dghlsakjg 17d ago
        You could do something like just call the non emergency line. They will tell you if they are the correct people to handle it. If not, you use your god given brain to think, “hmm, what do we call a company that handles the distribution of electrical power?” You will probably arrive on the term “power company”. Then you can think, “hmm. What is a resource I can use to find their phone number?”. At that point you might realize that you have a little black rectangle in your pocket that is connected to a company called google that will tell you this exact information if you search “local power company”. If you inspect this device carefully, you will notice that it has more digits than just 9 and 1. You don’t even need to know where you are, google will do that for you to save your brain the trouble of overtaxing itself. In fact google will surface the clickable phone number for emergencies in your area if you do this (I just checked). In any case, if you think it might be an emergency, it’s ok to call 911. They explicitly ask you to if there is doubt. The main thing is if you KNOW it isn’t an emergency, then, well, it isn’t an emergency. You have time to figure out what the correct thing to do is, because, again, it isn’t an emergency.
  - andrewflnr 19d ago
    So you have to look up the non-emergency number while someone may or may not be getting in position to do you physical harm. Even if we hate Flock as a company, that individual very much knows we hate Flock, and has reason to fear for his safety. Edit: and then the cops just talked to the guy doing the following and didn't arrest him or anything. The 911 call is almost a non-story. It's not even a microcosm of the actual problem with Flock and, let's not forget, its copycats.
  - FireBeyond 19d ago
    I was a paramedic/firefighter for 14 years. I think while there's merit in calling out people jumping at shadows, I do get how this situation, stupidly, escalated. And there's a bit more to EMS than "imminent life threats only".
    - dlcarrier 18d ago
      Property damage is often explicitly listed by municipalities as a reason to call 911. They might not care in New York or San Francisco, but in most small towns they usually try to catch vandals in the act.
nielsbot 18d ago
FTA: > “I work with Flock Safety. And I called originally because I’m getting followed,” the installer can be heard telling a dispatcher in the recording of the call obtained by Atlanta News First Investigates. “I was getting harassed, pretty much. Taking videos and pictures. And now, the same vehicle that pulled over where I was working at has been following me.” …the irony
nielsbot 18d ago
I like to ask people who are pro blanket surveillance if they’d be ok with the police putting an Air Tag in their car
kotaKat 18d ago
> “Why can’t the person opt out? It’s because if your car gets stolen, if something were to happen, moreover, the government requires you to have a license plate. It’s the law. And it’s plain view information,” [Flock Safety’s Chief Communications Officer Josh ] Thomas said. “Your license plate is part of the plain view. And so why can’t you opt out. You can, if you want to opt out of society.” Unless you're part of the Karen HOAs that buy them - then you can be part of the community SafeList! https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/how-the-safe-list-solves-privacy-concerns-in-a-neighborhood https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/how-the-safe-list-solves-pr...
orangeberrytea 14d ago
[dead]
- b112 14d ago
  Flock was seed round funded by YC, not "a YC company". It's not like they control it, manage it, and what was pitched may be significantly different than what happened since then. YC isn't perfect, but what words you use, and their order is important. And the way you're phrasing it, you make it sound as if they are a subsidiary of YC. Or as if YC is on the board. If any of these things are true, you should plainly state them. Otherwise, what you're saying is incorrect.

55 points by driverdan 19d ago

jqpabc123 19d ago

So they can film you but you can't film them? Double standard much?

0utcast 19d ago
Yep they hate having a camera in their face, how ironic

FireBeyond 19d ago

I despise Flock. Have had plenty to say. But I suspect -this- was the reason, moreso than the filming the installation: > As Keefe began to shoot video, the installer saw him and immediately packed up his equipment and drove away, so Keefe also returned to his car and followed several cars behind, hoping to document the next stop. Not to say the installer wouldn't have anyway, but it's not inherently unreasonable to call 911 when someone is obviously following you.

ButlerianJihad 19d ago
> call 911 It is unreasonable, because 911 is for emergencies where life or property is imminently threatened. If you believe someone is watching and following you, then you can call the non-emergency number. Or your mom.
- 1659447091 19d ago
  > If you believe someone is watching and following you, then you can call the non-emergency number. They can also drive to a police/fire station
- cpburns2009 19d ago
  This is actually something I've wondered about. What is the non-emergency number?
  - ninju 19d ago
    You might have to google it because it's not standardized across the country https://www.google.com/search?q=police+non+emergency+number+in+my+area https://www.google.com/search?q=police+non+emergency+number+...
  - dghlsakjg 19d ago
    It’s just a regular phone number, so it depends what department you are trying to call. Google or a phone book is what you need.
    - dlcarrier 18d ago
      It's usually on the web page of the local police or sheriff department.
    - cpburns2009 17d ago
      How do you know what number to Google? Here's a real example. The day after a storm I noticed a tree leaning on a powerline. This was ~20 miles from where I live in a different county and township. If I hadn't already lived in that area before, I would have no clue who it call. 911 isn't appropriate because it's not an emergency... but that does need to get fixed.
      - ButlerianJihad 17d ago
        That's a 3-1-1, good buddy Or you can ask an LLM for some guidance.
      - dghlsakjg 17d ago
        You could do something like just call the non emergency line. They will tell you if they are the correct people to handle it. If not, you use your god given brain to think, “hmm, what do we call a company that handles the distribution of electrical power?” You will probably arrive on the term “power company”. Then you can think, “hmm. What is a resource I can use to find their phone number?”. At that point you might realize that you have a little black rectangle in your pocket that is connected to a company called google that will tell you this exact information if you search “local power company”. If you inspect this device carefully, you will notice that it has more digits than just 9 and 1. You don’t even need to know where you are, google will do that for you to save your brain the trouble of overtaxing itself. In fact google will surface the clickable phone number for emergencies in your area if you do this (I just checked). In any case, if you think it might be an emergency, it’s ok to call 911. They explicitly ask you to if there is doubt. The main thing is if you KNOW it isn’t an emergency, then, well, it isn’t an emergency. You have time to figure out what the correct thing to do is, because, again, it isn’t an emergency.
- andrewflnr 19d ago
  So you have to look up the non-emergency number while someone may or may not be getting in position to do you physical harm. Even if we hate Flock as a company, that individual very much knows we hate Flock, and has reason to fear for his safety. Edit: and then the cops just talked to the guy doing the following and didn't arrest him or anything. The 911 call is almost a non-story. It's not even a microcosm of the actual problem with Flock and, let's not forget, its copycats.
- FireBeyond 19d ago
  I was a paramedic/firefighter for 14 years. I think while there's merit in calling out people jumping at shadows, I do get how this situation, stupidly, escalated. And there's a bit more to EMS than "imminent life threats only".
  - dlcarrier 18d ago
    Property damage is often explicitly listed by municipalities as a reason to call 911. They might not care in New York or San Francisco, but in most small towns they usually try to catch vandals in the act.

nielsbot 18d ago

FTA: > “I work with Flock Safety. And I called originally because I’m getting followed,” the installer can be heard telling a dispatcher in the recording of the call obtained by Atlanta News First Investigates. “I was getting harassed, pretty much. Taking videos and pictures. And now, the same vehicle that pulled over where I was working at has been following me.” …the irony

nielsbot 18d ago

I like to ask people who are pro blanket surveillance if they’d be ok with the police putting an Air Tag in their car

kotaKat 18d ago

> “Why can’t the person opt out? It’s because if your car gets stolen, if something were to happen, moreover, the government requires you to have a license plate. It’s the law. And it’s plain view information,” [Flock Safety’s Chief Communications Officer Josh ] Thomas said. “Your license plate is part of the plain view. And so why can’t you opt out. You can, if you want to opt out of society.” Unless you're part of the Karen HOAs that buy them - then you can be part of the community SafeList! https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/how-the-safe-list-solves-privacy-concerns-in-a-neighborhood https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/how-the-safe-list-solves-pr...

orangeberrytea 14d ago

[dead]

b112 14d ago
Flock was seed round funded by YC, not "a YC company". It's not like they control it, manage it, and what was pitched may be significantly different than what happened since then. YC isn't perfect, but what words you use, and their order is important. And the way you're phrasing it, you make it sound as if they are a subsidiary of YC. Or as if YC is on the board. If any of these things are true, you should plainly state them. Otherwise, what you're saying is incorrect.