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Hackers Got Inside a Flock Camera

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Re: Hackers Got Inside a Flock Camera

#51

Post by hellon3wheels »

petcat wrote: post #39

> According to our analysis, the camera’s logs recorded about 21 days of activity across several periods. During those windows, the device photographed roughly 50,200 vehicles and generated about 1.6 million images. On a typical day, it logged around 3,300 vehicles, with a high of 4,454. Has there been any report about which state this camera was recovered in? New Hampshire has a strict 3 minute rule for non-hit plat…

That same NH law perhaps more importantly limits ALPR use to law enforcement officers.

Re: Hackers Got Inside a Flock Camera

#52

Post by jkestner »

iamnothere wrote: post #7

I think I should start posting a reminder in Flock threads that Axon is a Flock competitor, is also engaged in mass surveillance, and is possibly even worse, but there’s rarely any mention of it. Journalists need to do some digging there. This shouldn’t just be a Flock story, or Flock will just get bought up or something and everyone will move on. (The above should not be read as supporting Flock or discouraging furt…

Reminds me why a friend picked RCN over Comcast for his Internet. “They’re the more incompetent evil company.”

Re: Hackers Got Inside a Flock Camera

#54

Post by cucumber3732842 »

ohyoutravel wrote: post #35

Flock is a scourge on democracy. Flock is YC. But looks like they did YC nearly ten years ago. Who knows what their pitch deck looked like? If they pivoted since then to their current sinister incarnation? I don’t see any evidence that YC is still actively supporting them. Benefit of the doubt: Funding them for a community/city-owned traffic camera type thing seems like it would have been a much more reasonable propo…

>Flock is a scourge on democracy.

Yes. Blame the pickaxe seller. Do not question the miners. Do not question the investors in the mining companies. Do not question the casual voter or internet commenter who thought all this was fine.

This isn't to say that flock not a scourge, but I think a lot of people (not saying you're one of them) could stand to look in the mirror here.

Back in ye olde dark ages of 2017, when YC was cutting Flock a check and when "big data" was the hot buzzword people of a certain bent couldn't get enough of this kind of stuff. Everyone was jacking off nonstop to the idea that we could just hoover up everyone's data ad then "efficiently" or "proactively" dispatch enforcement resources. People talked all sorts of big talk about stuff like cross referencing people's Home Depot spend with permit requirements, identifying small businesses that don't have healthy enough financials to be fully compliant, cross referencing invoices and delivery receipts to identify overloaded trucks, and generally finding all sorts of ways to fine the crap out of people for the pettiest of petty deviance. They considered this a noble goal.

Everyone's head was too far up their asses to look at the magic crystal ball called "history" and realize that a camera on every street corner watching who's going where all the damn time would be where it goes.

Re: Hackers Got Inside a Flock Camera

#55

Post by soupfordummies »

ktm5j wrote: post #44

> "We liberated hardware" Ya know, I'm not on Flock's side here.. but be real, this is theft. You should be able to own that if you're going to do something like this.

That's also the biggest plot-hole in the first Star Wars movie. Princess Leia is supposed to be this righteous noble of the moral resistance and yet she STEALS the Death Star plans!

Re: Hackers Got Inside a Flock Camera

#57

Post by overtone1000 »

ktm5j wrote: post #44

> "We liberated hardware" Ya know, I'm not on Flock's side here.. but be real, this is theft. You should be able to own that if you're going to do something like this.

I don't get the impression that anyone writing about this thinks it's legal. I think the argument would be that it's justified.

Re: Hackers Got Inside a Flock Camera

#58

Post by jkestner »

jordanb wrote: post #10
iamnothere wrote: post #7

I think I should start posting a reminder in Flock threads that Axon is a Flock competitor, is also engaged in mass surveillance, and is possibly even worse, but there’s rarely any mention of it. Journalists need to do some digging there. This shouldn’t just be a Flock story, or Flock will just get bought up or something and everyone will move on. (The above should not be read as supporting Flock or discouraging furt…

"Axon is Flock but worse" will be the next big fight as police departments are pulling a fast one and saying "we got rid of Flock" by switching to Axon.

Axon (among others) has operations hubs for data fusion centers and other platforms for police like Evidence.com, so it’s an easy sell to departments.

Communities are starting to pivot to the wider issue, but a reason that this issue found purpose is that Flock is a more evocative target than “ALPRs”. I think it wouldn’t be a bad thing if “Flock” becomes the generic name.

Re: Hackers Got Inside a Flock Camera

#59

Post by [deleted] »

ohyoutravel wrote: post #35

Flock is a scourge on democracy. Flock is YC. But looks like they did YC nearly ten years ago. Who knows what their pitch deck looked like? If they pivoted since then to their current sinister incarnation? I don’t see any evidence that YC is still actively supporting them. Benefit of the doubt: Funding them for a community/city-owned traffic camera type thing seems like it would have been a much more reasonable propo…

[deleted]

Re: Hackers Got Inside a Flock Camera

#60

Post by overtone1000 »

soupfordummies wrote: post #55
ktm5j wrote: post #44

> "We liberated hardware" Ya know, I'm not on Flock's side here.. but be real, this is theft. You should be able to own that if you're going to do something like this.

That's also the biggest plot-hole in the first Star Wars movie. Princess Leia is supposed to be this righteous noble of the moral resistance and yet she STEALS the Death Star plans!

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49422404
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