Flock Cameras and Privacy Concerns

Beth Gallagher

Beth Gallagher

Well-known member
I've been reading more and more about Flock cameras and public resistance to them. I guess I thought they are simply another traffic-control camera device but apparently they can be much more intrusive. This is from a technology article...

"SignalTrace technology from security company Leonardo is a system that takes the license plate reading approach of Flock and raises the sophistication a notch. SignalTrace scanners can identify the types of devices that are in a car as it passes by, and link them to a person even if the license plate number isn't visible.

So, for example, a car of interest to the police might have an iPhone, an Audi stereo, and a pair of Bose headphones in it. The next time that specific combination of devices is detected on the SignalTrace network, an alert can be sent to law enforcement." https://www.yahoo.com/tech/cybersecurity/articles/flock-style-scanners-now-pick-100000424.html

Virtually every electronic device you use is broadcasting some kind of Bluetooth or Wi-Fi information. It's how your phone stays connected to cell towers, how your fitness tracker syncs stats back to the web, and so on. SignalTrace scanners work in addition to license plate reader cameras to catch these signals and interpret them.
 
They have been putting them in places where no vehicles ever go, like in parks and on trails . There has been a lot of discussion about the Flock camera on social media, and people have been taking them down in one way or another.
The last i read is that Halloween will be a big night for that, since everyone is already out wandering round with a mask on, so the police can’t tell who is dismantling or knocking over the cameras.
 
Good afternoon to all-

Well, I've got to say that I don't give a hoot in hell whether these devices are used or not. first, I don't do much that could be construed as rude or impolite, much less illegal. And second, I don't carry any sort of electronic device with me ever- including the cell phone that stays at home where it's safe and I know where it is.

So, I really don't care if these devices are used or not. And I don't expect they'll be too common here in the wilds of south Alabama anyway... just sayin'.

you all be safe and keep well- Ed
 
You should care about your privacy Eddie!!

Just cause your not doing anything wrong doesnt mean it cant be used against you!

We all have to be worried and aware of things like this!
 
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We used to tape over traffic cameras by walking up from the back as a prank. Nowadays, rather not. I occasionally speed. Two tickets in my life and those from a mad cop. Parking was all he could find in small town USA.
 
There have been a lot of police officers caught misusing them to stalk women. Evidence of it has been admitted to in 12 states so far. Officers have been charged in some cases. The media is pumping up the use of these cameras. "Flock Cameras Key In Solving Case" when they were only of minor benefit. Or "Crime Could Have Been Solved If Flock Cameras Had Been In Place." The CEO of Flock is often quoted as some objective source.

Regarding electronic devices that can be sensed...that includes the TPMS transmitters in your tires. Those traffic counters you see sometimes have contained receivers that pick up the TPMS transmitters so as to identify not only the total number of times vehicles go through a specific place, they can identify the number of specific vehicles going through. With Flock cameras (or other electronic receivers), those TPMS signals can be tied back to specific individuals.

Yes, I object to (and fear) a Surveillance State. "I've done nothing wrong" is a chilling statement to come out out the mouths of purportedly free individuals. I've seen it said on social media when our local Walmart/Lowes complex installed these Orwellian tools. If the police wish to surveil us, they must go to a judge and show cause before getting permission to do so...they cannot just do it (except for G.W. Bush's FISA court that has proven to routinely be abused.) That's how it works. In America, government justified the surveillance. Citizens are not on the defensive to justify the "why not."

Our rights are there to protect us all from government, whether or not some of our fellow citizens feel they don't need such protection.
 
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Beth Gallagher said:
Most newer vehicles have GPS and other connected trackers (OnStar, Ford SYNC, Google Maps, etc.). Tracking is nothing new but there are much higher levels of sophistication now. The MyHonda app has vehicle locator/engine disabler in case the car is stolen.
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"Stolen." Or you haven't paid your taxes. Or you are not "of party." Or any other reason some people might be convinced is justified, as long as it's not them.

Once the capability exists, the rest is just a formality.
 
John Brunner said:
"Stolen." Or you haven't paid your taxes. Or you are not "of party." Or any other reason some people might be convinced is justified, as long as it's not them.

Once the capability exists, the rest is just a formality.
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The disabler function is on the app on my phone, so I have the ability to see where my Pilot is and shut down the engine remotely. The trackers like OnStar connected services have had that ability for a while but it was a 'feature' that an OnStar agent had to activate remotely. Many cars have the automatic emergency notification of a crash, too. I'm sure at some point all the tracking data will be combined with the Flock cameras "for our own good."
 
Beth Gallagher said:
The disabler function is on the app on my phone, so I have the ability to see where my Pilot is and shut down the engine remotely. The trackers like OnStar connected services have had that ability for a while but it was a 'feature' that an OnStar agent had to activate remotely. Many cars have the automatic emergency notification of a crash, too. I'm sure at some point all the tracking data will be combined with the Flock cameras "for our own good."
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Data Centers
-Our electric bills go up
-Reliability goes down
-We get watched by Big Brother
 
They put in cameras " in school zones to be used only during school hours." The became school zones all the time, then it was expanded all over the city of Anchorage and the city was collecting thousands form fines generated from the "photo tickets". Eventually they ticketed the wrong person, a power attorney. He took the city to court and the photo tickets were determined to be unconstitutional under Alaska's state constitution. The state supreme court determined that only a sworn officer can write tickets in Alaska. The 1300 pending cases were then all dropped and I think the city had to refund all the fines that had been levied under the city statute. I don't know what happened to the fees they paid to the phot company that actually wrote and mailed the tickets.
 
Don Alaska said:
They put in cameras " in school zones to be used only during school hours." The became school zones all the time, then it was expanded all over the city of Anchorage and the city was collecting thousands form fines generated from the "photo tickets". Eventually they ticketed the wrong person, a power attorney. He took the city to court and the photo tickets were determined to be unconstitutional under Alaska's state constitution. The state supreme court determined that only a sworn officer can write tickets in Alaska. The 1300 pending cases were then all dropped and I think the city had to refund all the fines that had been levied under the city statute. I don't know what happened to the fees they paid to the phot company that actually wrote and mailed the tickets.
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Got a notice in the mail about 4 months ago. Pictures of my vehicle, and license plate, claiming I was going 36 in a 25, I live in Florida, and the notice was from Atlanta GA. It did say no points on my license, not reported to my insurance, but please send $100. So far, I've just ignored it.

As for the new style cameras. I don't give a Flock. :ROFLMAO:
 
Hoot Crawford said:
Got a notice in the mail about 4 months ago. Pictures of my vehicle, and license plate, claiming I was going 36 in a 25, I live in Florida, and the notice was from Atlanta GA. It did say no points on my license, not reported to my insurance, but please send $100. So far, I've just ignored it.

As for the new style cameras. I don't give a Flock. :ROFLMAO:
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That sounds like some kind of scam, Hoot. You did the smart thing by ignoring it. There is a 'toll road scam' prevalent in the Houston area, but it is text messages to your cellphone that you have warrants for unpaid tolls unless you send money ASAP.
 
I just read another article about this. A female cop has been charged for looking up her ex-boyfriend's license plate (to see where he is/has been) several hundred times.

People need to keep in mind these are not just photos sitting on a computer so when the bank gets robbed they can scroll through the pics taken at that location that time of day. The numbers are optically read and go into a database, so your license plate number can be accessed and your every move will be retrieved.
 
Ed Delabama said:
Good afternoon to all-

Well, I've got to say that I don't give a hoot in hell whether these devices are used or not. first, I don't do much that could be construed as rude or impolite, much less illegal. And second, I don't carry any sort of electronic device with me ever- including the cell phone that stays at home where it's safe and I know where it is.

So, I really don't care if these devices are used or not. And I don't expect they'll be too common here in the wilds of south Alabama anyway... just sayin'.

you all be safe and keep well- Ed
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I also don't really care. Cameras are everywhere, I don't expect privacy & there is nothing we can do about it, so why stress over something we can't change? When I approach a camera, I smile at it & fix my hair. :giggle:
A couple of years ago I was driving home late at night. As I approached an intersection, the traffic light turned yellow. I could have stopped abruptly, but an idiot behind me was tailgating - a couple of feet behind me, so I sped up to avoid an accident. I went through the intersection as the light turned red. I saw a white flash but I didn't know what it was. A few days later, I got a letter in the mail from the police dept. lecturing me about the danger of running red lights & a warning that next time may result in a ticket & fine.
 
For every viable use of anything, there’s a negative .

I can remember years ago when a car slid on ice and crashed into a pond. The driver drowned because the seatbelt jammed, to make my point.

What I see on the local news is police are using the Flock cams for their own devious purposes. Stalking, spying on ex’s, etc.

Conversely, human traffickers have been caught. Children taken by non custodial parents have been found, drug dealers arrested.

A person from the Flock company went on tv to say they are trying to come up with a fix for the wrongful spying side of things.

Personally, I don’t care. I have nothing to hide and nothing anybody wants. I am notorious for running yellow lights, but the cameras that hve been up for 12 or so years have never dinged me.

@Tony Nathanson , had that been me, I would’ve called the police department and told them why I crashed through the red light.

We should all be glad we’re old. The longer this world goes in this System of Things, the worse behavior becomes on all levels. There’s a con and a kill for everything today😢😢
 
Someone has clandestinely been putting signs around where the cameras are to let people know. Running red lights has become a real problems here but no one ever seems to get ticketed for it. You have to wait 30 seconds sometimes before entering an intersection when the light changes to ensure you don't get hit. I guess it is like shoplifting in some areas; no punishment, so it must be okay.
 
Don Alaska said:
Someone has clandestinely been putting signs around where the cameras are to let people know. Running red lights has become a real problems here but no one ever seems to get ticketed for it. You have to wait 30 seconds sometimes before entering an intersection when the light changes to ensure you don't get hit. I guess it is like shoplifting in some areas; no punishment, so it must be okay.
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Exactly. Non-enforcement of so many laws (even violent felonies) goes unpunished, but the State that does not enforce existing law now has to surveil all of us for our "safety."
 
Connie Bennett said:
For every viable use of anything, there’s a negative .

I can remember years ago when a car slid on ice and crashed into a pond. The driver drowned because the seatbelt jammed, to make my point.

What I see on the local news is police are using the Flock cams for their own devious purposes. Stalking, spying on ex’s, etc.

Conversely, human traffickers have been caught. Children taken by non custodial parents have been found, drug dealers arrested.

A person from the Flock company went on tv to say they are trying to come up with a fix for the wrongful spying side of things.

Personally, I don’t care. I have nothing to hide and nothing anybody wants. I am notorious for running yellow lights, but the cameras that hve been up for 12 or so years have never dinged me.

@Tony Nathanson , had that been me, I would’ve called the police department and told them why I crashed through the red light.

We should all be glad we’re old. The longer this world goes in this System of Things, the worse behavior becomes on all levels. There’s a con and a kill for everything today😢😢
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I would have done that if they gave me a ticket. I figure the camera would probably catch the tailgater behind me. But I've sat in court & seen people try to fight tickets. Considering the fine the city would lose, & the fact that the "Judge" is really just a "Commissioner," (and often a former police officer,) they would likely find me guilty anyway.
A few years ago, I parked in a "Loading/Unloading Zone" & helped my disabled passenger out of my car. By the time I got her wheelchair out of my trunk, a parking cop stopped behind me & wrote me a ticket.
I asked her, "What's the ticket for?"
She said, "Parking in a loading zone."
I said, "Don't you see that I'm unloading a disabled passenger?"
She said, "Only a dum dum would park in a loading zone."
I decided to exercise my freedom of speech. I said, "Only a dum dum would be an ignorant meter maid. Then I noticed the ticket had a #3 on the top of it. I said, "The ticket says number three. Thanks for leaving your I.Q. on it."
If looks could kill.......
I fought the ticket - and lost. The Rent-a-Judge said the space is only for loading/unloading packages.
 
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