What the Flock?
Flock Safety is a tech company that uses a combination of Automated License-Plate Readers (ALPR), hi-resolution video surveillance, audio detection including a gun-fire locator, and AI to analyze it all on a cloud-based platform. The sales pitch they offer cities and homeowners’ associations is compelling. They claim to be able to help solve crimes from porch pirates to kidnapping. They can track anyone. The use cases they present are compelling. I honestly can see why so many communities have signed up.
“To solve and eliminate crime – you need evidence.” - Flock Safety motto
The case looks clear cut. No more porch pirates getting away with your packages. Kidnappers tracked and apprehended before they can harm the children. What could go wrong?
What went wrong
Flock systems watch every move in the communities they surveil. But who is watching Flock Safety? Turns out, just about anyone can. Right here in Douglas County, CO, researchers discovered a number of Flock cameras streaming live on the public internet with no authentication. People could watch live feeds and up to 30 days of footage. Some of these cameras faced children’s play areas. They were like an all you can kidnap menu for predators who could see which kids were being watched and where camera blind spots were located.
Flock cameras have also been shown by security researchers to be vulnerable to multiple types of low-skill attack, meaning one does not require “hacker” skills to breach Flock systems. While the company claims its core systems in the cloud have never been breached, individual cameras have proven vulnerable to both misconfigurations, poor password practices, and physical access attacks.
Who watches the Watchmen?
Surveillance such as that offered by Flock triggers comparison to Orwell’s 1984 for good reason. Even if Flock stepped up to secure their products, those who are supposed to have access often abuse it.
In Sedgwick, KS, a now former police chief used Flock’s ALPR system to track his ex-girlfriend over 228 times in 4 months. A county in Washington state was subject to a phishing attack, with a person posing as law enforcement requesting the location of a particular vehicle. It was only a fast thinking supervisor who caught the irregularities in the request that protected that data. In Joplin, MO, an audit of the police department Flock usage discovered an officer using the system to track an ex, bypassing a restraining order.
In states with draconian abortion laws, officials have considered using Flock to track women suspected of trying to leave the state for abortion care.
Then there is DHS. Cities and communities who did not sign on to cooperate with DHS are having their camera and ALPR data taken without their consent. People are being tracked without their knowledge or consent. Not just immigrants. The LGBTQIA+ community, American citizens who speak languages other than English, people of color, and those who exercise their First Amendment rights to speak out against this lawless administration are being tracked.
Palantir
Teaming up with Flock Safety is Palantir, a tech company providing the data-analytics component for law enforcement agencies to quickly aggregate and search the data from Flock devices. Using AI they claim they can use predictive-policing. Any fans of science fiction dystopian futures probably just had a chill shoot up their spine. It is real, and it is here. AI pre-crime predictions.
So who is Palantir? It is the brain child of Peter Thiel, one of Donald Trump’s biggest supporters and billionaire who once said he no longer believes freedom and democracy are compatible. He argues that monopolies are better for society than competition and he believes in innovation at all costs. He believes diversity and multiculturalism are toxic to intellectual life. In other words, he’s a racist lunatic and cartoon super-villain. He’s Lex Luthor in a Klan hood.
What can we do?
I get it, this is terrifying and reads like a pitch for the prequel to Robocop. But there is hope. If you live in a city, county, or HOA that is considering Flock Safety, show up and voice your concerns. Gather your neighbors and show up to meetings. Raise your voice loud and strong. If your city or HOA has already invested in Flock, start lobbying to end the contract. Bring in lawyers if you must. If the argument for keeping Flock is crime prevention, there are plenty of companies that offer surveillance that is more secure and not being sold to a lawless administration.
I know this is scary but we can fix this. We can if we stand and move forward, together.
