New law enforcement data sharing partnership between Flock and Amazon Ring cameras

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AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit

Wait till you hear about all the cameras on vehicles doing the same thing!

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The sensors on automobiles are used to collect data that the car companies then sell to law enforcement and insurance agencies mainly. However; the data can be bought by any company or individual. The sensors can range from cameras, microphones, GPS, how often the screen is used, and cellular phones if connected. Most famously, Tesla cameras have been used to help law enforcement, but there have been other scandals like BMW selling video that included sex acts and Jeep considering advertising through screens.

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Atomsq@reddit

But, what kind of cars? Electric? All made after 2020? Only certain brands?

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Historical_Course587@reddit

Worked auto industry until last year:

Cars have phoned home for about 20 years now. Anything with an onboard computer, which is pretty much all of them. When cars got GPS-driven maps, the comptuer was collecting GPS data. When cars started getting hands-free calling through blutooth, the computers gained the ability to collect audio from the cabin. When cars got Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, the computer got access to much of your phone (e.g. anything on your phone that can be accessed through the car infotainment screen, maybe more). When they got wifi, they started collecting MAC addresses for devices that pinged off it.

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Atomsq@reddit

How is that data sent home? Thought your phone? Through some wireless connection?

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Historical_Course587@reddit

Through the vehicle's computer. They use something like cellular data, with the potential to piggy-back off of ghost wifi networks like the ones Xfinity used to run off of consumer cable modems.

In the IoT age, everything electronic is spying on you, all the time. Period. If you want a fun example:

Electronics manufacturers can ping their devices off of other devices, their own or others, with the simple use of a microphone and speaker. The speakers ping a sound at a higher frequency than humans can hear, and the mics pick it up. And these companies all want the same thing, so it's beneficial to them to work together on it. Your phone gets pinged by your car, your fridge, your electric toothbrush.

Worst of all, this can all be done at the driver level - it's possible for Chinese manufacturers to bake this functionality onto mass-produced CoC's and sell them to the electronics companies you recognize (Google, Apple, Sony, Samsung, etc.) without them even being involved in the data farming. Of course all companies want to make money, so even if they protect you from corporate data scraping attempts, they will gladly turn around and sell it to those same companies as long as profit is involved. Or to the government.

The only meaningful alternative is to not own a phone or a car, avoid electronic versions of things that don't need to be electronic, and to live outside of wifi/blutooth range of anything that might connect with your stuff and phone home. Don't let anyone with phones into your home, and don't let anyone with a phone or car deliver to your front porch either.

See? It's impossible.

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ThrowawayRage1218@reddit

So, apart from going completely wifi and bluetooth-free, which is simply not possible while also participating in modern society, is there a way we can take back at least some of our privacy? Drive with our phones off or not at all? Reset to factory default? Dumbphone? I'm definitely no fan of IoT and am slowly, slowly learning through r/selfhosted how to lock down my home ecosystem while maintaining at least 2015 levels of technology before figuring out if I can safely start doing some cooler stuff with it. But cars are definitely my concern here. For environmental reasons I want to stick with EVs and hybrids, but we recently bought a 2022 EV then I learned about all of the horrific privacy violations and want to do something about it.

Also, with cars being able to listen to what's going on in the cabin...is that just through phone speakers? Or if you say anything at all in the car it can pick it up?

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Historical_Course587@reddit

Also, with cars being able to listen to what's going on in the cabin...is that just through phone speakers? Or if you say anything at all in the car it can pick it up?

Most modern cars have microphones in them, somewhere up in the headboard or dash, so that you can make hands-free phone calls while driving. Naturally, the system is designed to pick up noise from the cabin and not the road. It can certainly pick up my kids from the backseat, albeit not as crisp as my wife in the driver's seat.

Drive with our phones off or not at all? Reset to factory default? Dumbphone?

Best option available for phones would be to install your own operating system like GraphiteOS or LineageOS, to never use Google services, to use (and encourage everyone you know to use) Signal for messaging and phone calls when possible, and to be militant about only using FOSS from a store like FDroid when possible. Keep data, wifi, and blutooth off whenever possible as well, noting that when you use data your carrier knows and when you use wifi the network knows.

Ideally, you'd have a beater phone that lived in your car for your out-and-about needs, with your real phone living at home. That way, whatever information your car collects isn't readily attached to whatever gets collected at home. It's not perfect, but it's also atypical which means automated data collection may have it as a blindspot.

I'm definitely no fan of IoT and am slowly, slowly learning through r/selfhosted how to lock down my home ecosystem while maintaining at least 2015 levels of technology before figuring out if I can safely start doing some cooler stuff with it.

A man of culture - Jellyfin was my gateway drug. Whatever yours ends up being, it will bring you so much joy that you just can't get over it. Also, shoutout to public libraries which have over the last 10-20 years decided to go all-in on providing popular media - DVDs, blurays, Xbox/PS4/5/Switch1/2 games. With inter-library loan systems, I think most people would be shocked to find that public libraries may even have better coverage than major piracy trackers.

But cars are definitely my concern here. For environmental reasons I want to stick with EVs and hybrids, but we recently bought a 2022 EV then I learned about all of the horrific privacy violations and want to do something about it.

Unfortunately, there isn't a lot you can do safely in the car. For obvious reasons, nobody wants car computers to be easily hackable, and they are designed to only interface with user needs in very superficial ways (e.g. via phone apps/utilities). You could look into finding and disconnecting the antenna used to send data home (look for a wiring diagram for your vehicle specifically), but there's no guarantee you wouldn't hurt the functionality of the vehicle. On-Star systems are generally sharing the radio antenna, so you'd lose radio (which IMO is a good emergency system to have - replace it with a basic AM/FM box if you go through with wire cutting). Some vehicles use the rear defroster as an antenna, so you might lose that. It's going to greatly depend on your specific make and model though, so don't get hopes up or down until you've done some digging.

I'm generally optimstic though. Car manufacturers would get destroyed if they built something that bricked because it couldn't phone home - road conditions are way too unreliable for such a system to survive. So there's got to be some way to disconnect or shield data transfers that works.

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ThrowawayRage1218@reddit

Most modern cars have microphones in them, somewhere up in the headboard or dash, so that you can make hands-free phone calls while driving. Naturally, the system is designed to pick up noise from the cabin and not the road. It can certainly pick up my kids from the backseat, albeit not as crisp as my wife in the driver's seat.

Okay, good spot. This answer shows me that I need to refine my question: can/do microphones in the car pick up on you specifically when your phone is not on, in use, and/or connected via bluetooth?

Ideally, you'd have a beater phone that lived in your car for your out-and-about needs, with your real phone living at home. That way, whatever information your car collects isn't readily attached to whatever gets collected at home. It's not perfect, but it's also atypical which means automated data collection may have it as a blindspot.

I've been considering this, actually. A dumbphone just for emergencies with calls forwarded from the smartphone that sits at home. Fortunately I've already completely degoogled my phone (LineageOS, FDroid, Tutanota, etc.) and use it strictly as a tool, for which it still has function while out and about. But honestly, how often do I need a translation app or Wikipedia when I'm traveling in my daily life in my home country?

A man of culture - Jellyfin was my gateway drug. Whatever yours ends up being, it will bring you so much joy that you just can't get over it. Also, shoutout to public libraries which have over the last 10-20 years decided to go all-in on providing popular media - DVDs, blurays, Xbox/PS4/5/Switch1/2 games. With inter-library loan systems, I think most people would be shocked to find that public libraries may even have better coverage than major piracy trackers.

A man of culture yourself! I'm an information professional with a Masters in Library and Information Science, so I always love to see others also boosting their local library. Unfortunately I'm a bit of a neoluddite, so I'm having to learn the very basics before actually locking everything down. It's all very intimidating so I've got a few half-finished projects. A Pihole or NAS is likely to be my first big project, especially since I'm canceling my streaming services this month. I'm too cheap to pay for anything but ad-supported tiers, and with the enshittification of Netflix and Hulu for the sake of driving consumers to higher tiers (or in Hulu's case, driving those subscribers to Disney+ as they phase Hulu out and hike Disney+ prices) I'm just done with it all. Yo ho.

you could look into finding and disconnecting the antenna used to send data home (look for a wiring diagram for your vehicle specifically), but there's no guarantee you wouldn't hurt the functionality of the vehicle. On-Star systems are generally sharing the radio antenna, so you'd lose radio (which IMO is a good emergency system to have - replace it with a basic AM/FM box if you go through with wire cutting). Some vehicles use the rear defroster as an antenna, so you might lose that. It's going to greatly depend on your specific make and model though, so don't get hopes up or down until you've done some digging.

I'm generally optimstic though. Car manufacturers would get destroyed if they built something that bricked because it couldn't phone home - road conditions are way too unreliable for such a system to survive. So there's got to be some way to disconnect or shield data transfers that works.

This is a good starting place. Thank you! Not sure how destroyed manufacturers would be if they built something that bricked because it couldn't phone home. How many people are even aware of the issue, let alone trying to DIY a fix?

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Historical_Course587@reddit

Okay, good spot. This answer shows me that I need to refine my question: can/do microphones in the car pick up on you specifically when your phone is not on, in use, and/or connected via bluetooth?

The fact-driven answer is we don't know, because the only way to know for sure would be to have the car's software open source. Historically, consumers have been burned countless times before by a functionality spying on them that wasn't found out until later. This is especially true of Chinese hardware, which large, complex electronics devices like cars simply cannot get away from (even if it's assembled elsewhere, at least some basic pieces of hardware get made in China).

In practice, I think a privacy-conscious person is going to assume the worst of the hardware around them. There is a microphone in your car, it is connected to a networked computer, and there is money to be made harvesting your personal data. Publicly-traded car companies have a legal responsibility to increase share values, so not collecting data could literally be criminal.

But honestly, how often do I need a translation app or Wikipedia when I'm traveling in my daily life in my home country?

Not often, but handy tools are handy tools. For those two specifically, you can self-host Wikipedia (and other wikis) on your phone using Kiwix, and go with old school translation dictionaries as PDFs if you really want to be prepared. Smartphones weren't essential until about 10 years ago - we survived just fine before that.

I'm an information professional with a Masters in Library and Information Science

AAAGGGHGH I've wanted to get one so bad! They just don't make financial sense. I have BA's in comp sci and business management, with another BA's worth of math over the top of it. If I ever go masters it'll be comp sci (money will be good if the industry ever recovers), but if I was rich I'd go back for the MLIS.

Firm believer that libraries save civilization.

Unfortunately I'm a bit of a neoluddite, so I'm having to learn the very basics before actually locking everything down. It's all very intimidating so I've got a few half-finished projects. A Pihole or NAS is likely to be my first big project, especially since I'm canceling my streaming services this month.

Nothing wrong with that. It feels intimidating, but you just kind of have to chain together small projects that build off one another:

Setup Pihole for the house (note: the last time I tried it Pihole broke PBS. Just PBS. Not sure why. Support PBS, and then sail the seas for PBS content?)
Setup NAS for the network
Setup Jellyfin with one movie sitting right on your hard drive, and to only allow local connections (unless you want it everywhere, but personally it's too much work for too little benefit - you can always do that later if you need it)
Connect Jellyfin to NAS; slowly organize and build library forever. (I Don't use the *arr apps for scraping new content; Netflix cured me of my need to love shows that haven't gotten proper endings yet. Do it all by hand, as it comes.)

Then you can explore virtual machines, docker, ptetodactyl for hosting game servers, Calibre for books, Kiwix for a ton of different wikis, and so on.

Not sure how destroyed manufacturers would be if they built something that bricked because it couldn't phone home. How many people are even aware of the issue, let alone trying to DIY a fix?

I should say as a last bit of warning: there is always a chance that you screw up your vehicle's ability to recieve updates, patches, fixes, or even replacement hardware from a repair shop or dealership. If I were an unscrupulus manufacturer, the way I would discourage consumer tinkering would to be to not let repair shops reflash the software - once the computer "fails" (however the company defines that) it needs to be replaced. So you go in for some random dash warning about tire pressure and the dealership can't clear it without charging you $2500 for a new piece of dashboard.

P.S. - if you happen to have a Tesla, be extra cautious. I worked on a number of them and their electronics hardware designs defy logic. The Cybertruck for example has a single unified wiring harness, so screwing with your rear tail light can affect your headlights, your ventilation system, your door locks, windows, seats. There's a reason their repair program replaces large assemblies and not just working down to replacing tiny failed parts - those would be a total bitch to make work.

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ThrowawayRage1218@reddit

Smartphones weren't essential until about 10 years ago - we survived just fine before that.

I remember, and am wistful for that time. I got my first smartphone in my very early 20s, and was forced to so my mom could have me on the family plan. I'm active in r/digitalminimalism and similar subs, and am planning a complete detox with my spouse per their request come January. After a low-tech weekend away, I'm honestly ready to go for a dumbphone. But we did have a few things that we literally couldn't interact with without a smartphone, such as bike rentals in a city. But as you've said, handy tools are handy tools, and it's hard to get used to life without the handy tools.

AAAGGGHGH I've wanted to get one so bad! They just don't make financial sense. I have BA's in comp sci and business management, with another BA's worth of math over the top of it. If I ever go masters it'll be comp sci (money will be good if the industry ever recovers), but if I was rich I'd go back for the MLIS.

Firm believer that libraries save civilization.

If you have literally any other choice that you can live with, absolutely do not. lol I work in museums and archives, not libraries (because those institutions require MLIS too) and tbh the field was bleak before and now with DOGE gutting IMLS...Well, we moved a few years ago to an area where my spouse has a job that pays enough for us to live, so we could afford for me to take the time to find a job I actually want and not just the first job I can get. There's only one place within an hour's drive that I can work, I've been volunteering with them while their grant-funded renovations are finished. They keep moving when they're going to actually hire me and now I'm not sure they ever will. And the field was ultra competitive (because of underfunding) even before that. But libraries and museums DO save civilization!!

Setup Pihole for the house (note: the last time I tried it Pihole broke PBS. Just PBS. Not sure why. Support PBS, and then sail the seas for PBS content?)

Setup NAS for the network

Setup Jellyfin with one movie sitting right on your hard drive, and to only allow local connections (unless you want it everywhere, but personally it's too much work for too little benefit - you can always do that later if you need it)

Connect Jellyfin to NAS; slowly organize and build library forever. (I Don't use the *arr apps for scraping new content; Netflix cured me of my need to love shows that haven't gotten proper endings yet. Do it all by hand, as it comes.)

My brain thrives on lists and this actually really helps, thank you. Do you mind if I occasionally DM you to pick your brain? Like I said, r/selfhosted is a great resource but they make an assumption (a fair one) that you actually know what you're doing and I...very much don't. lol With things like Jellyfin and Kodi...is that local only or could I somehow share access with another household?

I should say as a last bit of warning: there is always a chance that you screw up your vehicle's ability to recieve updates, patches, fixes, or even replacement hardware from a repair shop or dealership.

Yeah trust me if I do any tinkering it'll be very cautious, and with the guidance of my spouse who knows a lot more about electronics and tech than I do. It's not like a phone; a car is a very expensive thing to brick (especially these days!) and I'm screwed if we have to go down to one car. We've got a Nissan EV; I stopped being interested in Tesla once news started coming out about how shoddily they're put together, and wouldn't have ever considered a wankpanzer even if they weren't ugly as sin.

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Historical_Course587@reddit

is a great resource but they make an assumption (a fair one) that you actually know what you're doing

Oh god I know... I love FOSS, but I LOATHE the FOSS community.

Do you mind if I occasionally DM you to pick your brain?

That would be just fine - I love talkin' shop. You should also peruse /r/DataHoarder if you don't already - it's good inspiration with lots of good nuggets of information scattered throughout.

With things like Jellyfin and Kodi...is that local only or could I somehow share access with another household?

Technically, yes - it's trivial. You have an IP address that tells the internet how to find your computer, and then you have potentially thousands of separate lanes through which to direct that traffic to specific things on your computer (these lanes are called ports). So if your IP address were something like 123.456.789.0, and you had Jellyfin running on port 1234, you could point anyone on the planet to your Jellyfin address by having them open the Jellyfin app and going to 123.456.789.0:1234. It's very simple, assuming you don't have a firewall or other security measure blocking port access.

That said, I wouldn't recommend it early on. In fact, I'd say make it a point to test and verify that you cannot connect to your JF server from a non-local connection. Streaming copyrighted content over the internet to others is a serious crime, and while it's not a huge risk and certainly not a big deal with the right security setup you don't want to get it wrong. Don't ever expose a server application to the internet without knowing how to throw at least some basic security measures up.

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ThrowawayRage1218@reddit

Oh wonderful! You're actually very good at the ELI5 of it all lol I don't want to like, replace streaming services for a bunch of strangers or anything. Mostly I just wanna be able to share my library with my parents, maybe my spouse's parents/siblings if they're interested. Which I know is still illegal, and I'll definitely be testing to make sure no one can connect from a non-local location. I just wanted to clarify that I'm not trying to become some piracy mastermind or anything.

Appreciate you, friend!

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AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit

I work on vehicles as a hobby, have been deep into tuning most my life and have been to university for diesel technology (I've seen a lot) my group of tuning friends agree its between 2011-2013 on most vehicles where data collection started in earnest, and it only got worse model year to model year after that. It is across the board on all the major brands in one form or another.

Then there is all the external tracking but thats another subject.

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AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit

I'm at this stage on the wojac scale with it.

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carlitospig@reddit

I actually saw this guy today. He was looking rough walking down the street and I had one of those moments where I was like ‘I feel exactly like that dude looks’.

I’m so tired of this place.

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AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit

I would have to dig it up to provide all the sources, I cannot right now, but the TLDR: Automobile companies have been proven to collect driver data since about 2011-2013 in various forms be it GPS in the vehicle, to microphone audio, driving habits to sell to insurance companies, "safety" like "monitoring eyes for tired or drunkenness" which basically profiles the driver, etc. The flock cameras we are actually seeing now is "the surface" of surveillance that has been going in heavily in the last decade in addition to the other agencies and their systems / technology. A person can drive themselves down a rabbit hole looking into tracking systems used today. Look at WalMart and Kroger even... they scan for frequencies from your phone to ID you, facial recognition, plate readers, extremely good cameras that cover long distances, etc. There is talk that the systems are tied together and processed to provide highlights for higher agencies but its just that, but all the infrastructure is, in fact, in place... like new cars require data connection... can and have been shut down remotely... and have collected data. Just type in "personal data vehicle collection" and just start reading... you'll want a stiff drink, it wont make you happy.

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NoTerm3078@reddit

I manually turn bluetooth off if I am not using it that second, and have begun leaving my phone in the car. Dammed if I want to be tracked through a store. I collect credit card rewards and have done for years and am considering reverting back to cash money. The world we live in has gotten so gross.

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resistandassist@reddit

Put your phones and tablets in Faraday bags (cheap on Amazon) when not using them. I have started getting rid of anything electronic with the ability to collect data. All of my Amazon Alexa devices and Blink cameras are going up for sale on ebay. Slowly but surely I am getting rid of things. I also don't go online nearly as much as I used to as you're just giving the world your data and privacy. I also cover all the cameras on my phones, laptops, etc. Eventually, I hope to be living on acreage out in a very rural area with little electronic on the premises and with poor Internet/phone service. Some place so far out that I'll have to drive for an hour just to get somewhere I can use a cell phone. Sadly, not many places like this left, almost everywhere can get some kind of signal thanks to companies like Starlink.

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Historical_Course587@reddit

I manually turn bluetooth off

Do you physically disconnect power to the blutooth card, or do you tap an icon on a screen and trust that it's actually off?

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NoTerm3078@reddit

Do you physically disconnect power to the blutooth card, or do you tap an icon on a screen and trust that it's actually off?

Tap/trust is off. There's never any way to be sure, if you want to be sure, leave the phone away from you.

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splat-y-chila@reddit

my phone lives on my coffee table, and rarely even leaves the livingroom

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NoTerm3078@reddit

Cover your cameras.

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reila_go@reddit

Just wanted to say I always feel like I learn some new, terrifying, and most importantly useful shit whenever your name pops up. Thanks for outlining this so clearly.

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911ChickenMan@reddit

Lots of law enforcement agencies don't even pursue for most things anymore (which is arguably a good thing since pursuits are super dangerous for everyone on the road). They can just pull telemetry (if the vehicle was made in the past decade) and cell phone data and get a warrant that way.

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Ruthless-words@reddit

What cameras don’t share like this? My research found Arlo

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iridescent-shimmer@reddit

I purchased an eve cam recently. The cybersecurity seemed way tighter at least.

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911ChickenMan@reddit

Assume they will all be compromised if they aren't already. All it takes is a court order or a stern letter in some cases and the footage gets turned over.

It's a pain, but the most secure way would be to set up Power over Ethernet cameras with storage that you control. You can also do wireless self-hosted cameras; the vast majority of burglars aren't sophisticated enough to jam them.

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Ruthless-words@reddit

Google search sucks these days, do you know of any guides for this type of set up? We’ve been living on one salary but my fiancé is finally done with school so we should have more money soon for better set ups.

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911ChickenMan@reddit

Honestly I don't, most of my knowledge on this is several years old but the best system is one you host yourself.

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Slammedtgs@reddit

Get a camera with a dvd that isn’t connected to the internet, preferably POE so they can be disrupted with wifi jamming attacks.

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Ruthless-words@reddit

My main reason for cameras right now is I have mobility issues (arthritis) and difficult neighbors, so it’s nice to have a live feed

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Rods-from-God@reddit

Ubiquiti UniFi cameras don’t share data, and you have full control over the data as the communications stay entirely within your network unless you enable cloud features which you need another device for.

It’s not cheap, though, and there’s going to be a bit of a learning curve since they make tech for prosumers and enterprise.

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Big_Fortune_4574@reddit

You also can’t use the UniFi Protect app unless you enable cloud services…even if you were connecting locally anyway. Kind of annoying but I put my UniFi cameras in home assistant so I can see them on mobile

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Rods-from-God@reddit

That's super handy. I just went all in on the ecosystem- router with USG and NVR, CloudKey, next up is a NAS. Took my yolink device off IFTTT when the last CVE dropped that went entirely unanswered by the developer so I'm probably going to be working on setting up home assistant myself this weekend. Yaaay woohooifukinhateIoT

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Big_Fortune_4574@reddit

Oh I am all about all of that. I have all UniFi networking and cameras, but lots of other stuff. Didn’t end up going with their NAS but it looks good honestly. I recently wrote a bunch of code to get my hvac into home assistant locally via esphome. I feel like the obsession with local control is very prepper-adjacent lol

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CavitySearch@reddit

*For now

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TheJamDiggity@reddit

Wyze Cameras

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screech_owl_kachina@reddit

I never thought an internet connected microphone and camera could be used against me!

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iridescent-shimmer@reddit

That's why I just chose an eve cam recently. Their cybersecurity seemed way tighter than some of the more common brands.

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hypersmell@reddit

Go to DeFlock.me for a map that shows all the flock cameras in your area.

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iridescent-shimmer@reddit

Hm the map doesn't show any near me, but I know for a fact that there are plenty around me. A police officer confirmed this last week.

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ftwillzzz@reddit

Theres one pointing at my work building...

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carlitospig@reddit

Damn, guess it’s surface steeets for life now; they’ve me stuck at every on-ramp.

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911ChickenMan@reddit

These cameras can also identify your vehicle even if you don't have a license plate: they have AI that can identify the vehicle by any bumper stickers or other traits like scrapes/dents.

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paisano55@reddit

They’re going up really fast lately

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of_the_second_kind@reddit

40k per year

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AppalachanKommie@reddit

Thanks for this, I had no fucking idea what these were and what flock was. This is crazy.

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hypersmell@reddit

You're welcome. It's highly disturbing and I hope that with more awareness, people can keep these surveillance cameras out of their neighborhoods.

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N0n3of_This_Matter5@reddit

I had no idea about them until recently. I live in FL currently and it’s a damn police state here.

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Randomhero3@reddit

Very good video on them

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Capitals-Kant7764@reddit

I knew this was going to be Benn Jordan - great taste!

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JacksMicroplastics@reddit

Flock is another company Peter Thiel and his investment firm have taken a stake in. Palantir + Flock + government data on all US citizens = a surveillance state. This is moving really quickly. We're not even through the first year of the Trump presidency.

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Optimal-Archer3973@reddit

Only a fool has a Ring camera or any amazon device running now. It is not only the Ring cameras that this covers but also all Alexa devices.

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carlitospig@reddit

I just explained to my mother about how bad this situation is. She’s already anti Bezos but she didn’t realize the surveillance state had ramped up so quickly.

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JoplinSC742@reddit

r/tihi

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illinoishokie@reddit

I thought Amazon's brand was Blink

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ThrowawayRage1218@reddit

They bought Ring years ago.

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Honest_Persimmon_859@reddit

"Citizens will make the decision whether to share video" really means "You'll have to opt out of it manually and Amazon will do everything in their power to make sure people don't realize it."

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ThrowawayRage1218@reddit

And even then, you don't own your footage. Amazon does. They can and have turned over footage to cops without the Ring user's permission, and without a warrant. They've been targeting cops as customers for a long time.

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Long_Walks_On_Beach5@reddit

USA = China at this point. Mass surveillance on the population, centralized camera systems (flock, ring, etc...) monitoring everyone's whereabouts, a govt full of people above the law. This is dystopian, and people don't take it seriously.

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Biotic101@reddit

https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/12/larry_ellison_wants_all_data

Broligarchy also owns most social and mainstream media. What could go wrong?

They actually tell us and it's called the Dark Enlightenment.

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platyponius@reddit

larry_ellison

Broligarchy is fun but CIA is shorter.

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shbooms@reddit

inb4 they make it so not giving up your video is considered obstruction of justice/witholding evidence and charge you.

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Equivalent-Buyer-841@reddit

In my community the Flock cameras are owned by Lowes. Citizens aren’t going to be deciding anything

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voiderest@reddit

Eh, I don't expect anything to prevent access.

They have already shared videos without asking the owner, no court order just cops asking.

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WildHyena789@reddit

Yet another great reason to get Amazon out of your life.

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Shelif@reddit

Anything controlled by or have access too flock has written into the contracts that they can make their own copy regardless of any other agreements against such. That company is evil

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jujutsu-die-sen@reddit

Very interesting. I know a lot of people use security cameras inside their homes. I can't imagine what will happen once Ring decides data sharing with flock is no longer voluntary.

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Historical_Course587@reddit

Amazon is already doing everything legal (and possibly illegal) to extract as much power as possible out of that information.

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No-Fail7484@reddit

And crooks. Everyone hacks them very easily. Crooks use them as early warning stuff and cops use them to spy on crooks. If the undercover officers bust someone they delete the footage so you don’t get it.

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Hanarchy_ae@reddit

Say no to data centers

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RussianBab3@reddit

What drives me nuts is that we have no privacy. My neighbors all have ring cameras pointed directly at my house so even if I leave everything electronic at home I still can't go on a simple walk without it being seen by neighbors cameras. Freaking ridiculous. I hate this. For someone who wants to be alone, feeling like I'm never alone due to video data is anxiety inducing. Point the cameras at your own house 😡😭

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2BlueZebras@reddit

I work for a state law enforcement agency that uses Flock in day-to-day operations. We've got people wanted for murder, international drug and firearms traffickers, AMBER alert kidnappers and victims, robbery suspects. We only use them for big stuff because police are spread too thin to bother with anything smaller.

Roughly three Flock cameras get my plate every day. I don't care. No one ever sees those pictures if they're not wanted for a crime, and we delete them every 60 days.

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No-Artichoke5496@reddit

The thing is, this data is likely being fed into AI algorithms for who knows what purposes. I believe the days where you could say "eh, they can't watch everything all the time, and I'm nobody" are fading. The algorithms in the data centers don't sleep. I hate to wear the tinfoil hat, but in the current evironment I don't trust outfits like Palantir and the NSA to not be keeping their own copies of all this data forever, even if local agencies have reasonable retention policies.

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