It took them 4 years to require cops to need a reason to use it?

Flock tries to make its cameras harder for cops to misuse - Engadget

https://www.engadget.com/2236415/flock-tries-to-make-its-cameras-harder-for-cops-to-misuse/

#Flock #Cameras #Cops #ACAB #Security #Surveillance #Tech

‘Own the Narrative’: Leaked #Flock Guide Shows How It Teaches #Cops to Promote Its Tech

404 Media has obtained a coaching guide that Flock #surveillance gives to #police about “how to speak to city councils about public safety technology.” The handbook highlights how Flock and police team up to convince cities to buy and keep its automated license plate reader technology, even when there is widespread public opposition to it, and encourages police to “own the narrative before someone else does” by championing the technology before citizens can oppose it during public comment periods.
#alpr #privacy #flocksafety

https://www.404media.co/own-the-narrative-leaked-flock-guide-shows-how-it-teaches-cops-to-promote-its-tech/

‘DO NOT MENTION #ALPR USAGE’: How #Cops Are Trying to Hide Their Use of #Flock

When cops use Flock to arrest someone in #WapelloCounty , #Iowa , they don’t want them to know. A usage policy for the automated license plate reader #cameras in the county tells police, in no uncertain terms, to keep them a secret: “DO NOT MENTION ALPR USAGE TO THE OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE,” the policy document reads. “DO NOT MENTION ALPR USAGE IN YOUR REPORT OR COMPLAINT UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.”

The police guidance document is unusual in how clearly it tells police not to mention their Flock use, but it also highlights several important things in the Flock debate. While Flock likes to say that it is a #transparent #surveillance company and that it cares about “accountability” and “governance,” some of its customers believe its use should be kept secret.
#privacy #tracking

https://www.404media.co/do-not-mention-alpr-usage-how-cops-are-trying-to-hide-the-existence-of-flock/

‘DO NOT MENTION #ALPR USAGE’: How #Cops Are Trying to Hide Their Use of #Flock
A usage policy for the automated license plate reader cameras in the county tells #police, in no uncertain terms, to keep them a secret: “DO NOT MENTION ALPR USAGE TO THE OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE,” the policy document reads. “DO NOT MENTION ALPR USAGE IN YOUR REPORT OR COMPLAINT UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.”
Flock is now operating in thousands of cities and towns!
https://www.404media.co/do-not-mention-alpr-usage-how-cops-are-trying-to-hide-the-existence-of-flock/
https://archive.is/20260804160721/https://www.404media.co/do-not-mention-alpr-usage-how-cops-are-trying-to-hide-the-existence-of-flock/

How #Cops Use #Flock to Track People, Not Cars
Cops have used Flock's FreeForm search feature to look for people with tattoos and wearing specific sport shirts, and searches sometimes include the target's race, according to data.
Highlights while people associate Flock cameras with scanning license plates and tracking vehicles, cameras are also capable of following the movements of particular people or groups of people.
https://www.404media.co/how-cops-use-flock-to-track-people-not-cars/
https://archive.ph/k4E8q
#privacy #surveillance

How #Cops Use #Flock to #Track People, Not Cars

#Police departments around the country have used Flock #cameras at least hundreds of times to search for specific people, not cars, using searches such as “heavy-set male with a black and white hat,” “person on skateboard,” and “person wearing orange vest and construction hat,” according to data reviewed by 404 Media. Sometimes searches reference a target’s race or signs of their #political affiliation.

The searches highlight that while most people associate Flock cameras with scanning license plates and #tracking vehicles, some of the cameras are also capable of following the movements of particular people or groups of people.
#privacy #security #alpr

https://www.404media.co/how-cops-use-flock-to-track-people-not-cars/

Arrested for Telling a Cop to Shut UP-James Freeman is Suing to Rename This Texas City

https://youtu.be/zyLnHzg4Xrg

#Corruption #Cops #Police #Thugs #Tyranny #Government #Law #Legal #Courts #Lawsuit #Constitution

The $94 Million Smart Meter Surveillance Scheme Exposed

https://youtu.be/onYWQJsWFpk

Sacramento residents discovered their utility company has been secretly feeding their private energy data to police without warrants, leading to a massive surveillance operation that generated $94 million in fines. This explosive investigation reveals how SMUD transformed smart meters into government spy devices, monitoring when you shower, sleep, or use appliances.

Innocent homeowners faced armed police raids for using electricity to power medical equipment or mine cryptocurrency. One resident was forced outside in his underwear at gunpoint, while another disabled veteran was threatened with arrest for refusing warrantless entry. The surveillance threshold dropped dramatically from 7,000 to just 2,800 kilowatt hours per month, making air conditioning use suspicious in Sacramento's brutal heat.

Internal documents expose how SMUD analysts actively mined customer data for police, checking over 10,000 homes in a single month. Despite California law explicitly prohibiting utilities from sharing precise meter data without warrants, SMUD violated these protections daily for a decade.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation's lawsuit could reshape smart meter privacy nationwide. With the October 2025 court decision approaching, every American with a smart meter needs to understand how their utility company might be spying on them right now.

#SMUD #SmartMeters #EFF #Privacy #Utilities #Electricity #surveillance #SurveillanceCapitalism #Spying #4thAmendment #WarrantlessSearch #Constitution #CivilRights #Courts #Lawsuit #SCOTUS #Cops #Police #Extortion #Fraud

@privacy@a.gup.pe @infosec@a.gup.pe @infostorm@a.gup.pe