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Across the US, people are dismantling and destroying Flock surveillance cameras

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Re: Across the US, people are dismantling and destroying Flock surveillance cameras

#171
post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The vast majority of crimes are committed by a small percentage of people. The real issue is prosecutors who refuse to incarcerate repeat offenders. But having video evidence is a powerful tool for a motivated prosecutor to actually take criminals off the streets

It's wild that you think the problem with the US is too low of an incarceration rate. 25% of all prisoners in the world are in the US

It can be true (and likely is) that both:

a) much more time and effort should be focused on catching and stopping the most persistent repeat offenders (sometimes by locking them up); and

b) orders of magnitude too many Americans are currently in prison.

Re: Across the US, people are dismantling and destroying Flock surveillance cameras

#172

I'm surprised the flock cameras aren't being disabled in a more subtle fashion. All it takes is a tiny drone with a stick attached, and at the end of that stick is a tiny sponge soaked with tempera paint. Drone goes 'boop' on the camera lens, and the entire system is disabled until an expensive technician drives out with a ladder and cleans the lens at non-trivial expense. A handful of enterprising activists could bl…

You want to fly a multi-hundred dollar device loaded with radios that constantly broadcasts out a unique ID and possibly your FAA ID and use it for crime? Or even better yet, get arrested halfway to trying to dip your drone into paint on a sidewalk? Just throw a rock at the stupid thing.

In 1950s UK every country kid had a catapult in their pocket. Maybe that is what we should do. Give the kids catapults and tell them not to use them on Flock cameras. That is usually effective at making kids so stuff

Re: Across the US, people are dismantling and destroying Flock surveillance cameras

#173

I'm surprised the flock cameras aren't being disabled in a more subtle fashion. All it takes is a tiny drone with a stick attached, and at the end of that stick is a tiny sponge soaked with tempera paint. Drone goes 'boop' on the camera lens, and the entire system is disabled until an expensive technician drives out with a ladder and cleans the lens at non-trivial expense. A handful of enterprising activists could bl…

You can put a garbage bag over them if you don’t want to sawzall the pole and dispose of the hardware.

What you want is for this to become a Tiktok craze.

Re: Across the US, people are dismantling and destroying Flock surveillance cameras

#174
post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The vast majority of crimes are committed by a small percentage of people. The real issue is prosecutors who refuse to incarcerate repeat offenders. But having video evidence is a powerful tool for a motivated prosecutor to actually take criminals off the streets

It's wild that you think the problem with the US is too low of an incarceration rate. 25% of all prisoners in the world are in the US

Who do you think those people are that are incarcerated in the USA?

I come across this rather frequently among people from sheltered backgrounds like those who graduated from mom and dad taking care of them, all the way through to Mega Corp/university taking care of them, and absolutely cannot fathom why everyone doesn’t just eat cake.

I have a working theory that this effect, whatever one wants to call it, of people being too abstracted from reality, is ultimately the source of collapse of all kinds of organizations of humans… including civilizations.

It is, for example also why America can have so many vile warmongering people, because not only do they not have to lead troops into battle, have their children drafted into the front lines, or pay for the invariable disaster and murder they perpetrated and orchestrated; but in the most grotesque way, they profit from it and immensely; usually also combining it with other types of fraud like “money printing”, i.e., counterfeiting, which they use to plunder the wealth they accumulated through murder, mayhem, and fraud.

Re: Across the US, people are dismantling and destroying Flock surveillance cameras

#175
In the UK these cameras are everywhere.

We have (a relatively recent phenomenon) elected Police and Crime Commissioners. They are elected with a tiny turnout. Next election in your area see if a candidate is anti-surveillance and run a campaign to support them. 10,000 extra votes to any of the mainstream candidates will get them elected.

Another addition to this thread of things that will never happen.

Re: Across the US, people are dismantling and destroying Flock surveillance cameras

#176

In the UK these cameras are everywhere. We have (a relatively recent phenomenon) elected Police and Crime Commissioners. They are elected with a tiny turnout. Next election in your area see if a candidate is anti-surveillance and run a campaign to support them. 10,000 extra votes to any of the mainstream candidates will get them elected. Another addition to this thread of things that will never happen.

PCCs are being scrapped and their role reverted to national government

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c93d4dd3l3lo

Party because people haven’t got a clue what they do, partly as they have very little power, and party as it’s just a popularity vote on the rosette.

Personally I’m more worried about ring door bells, but I’ve spent years being told I’m paranoid.

Re: Across the US, people are dismantling and destroying Flock surveillance cameras

#177

I'm surprised the flock cameras aren't being disabled in a more subtle fashion. All it takes is a tiny drone with a stick attached, and at the end of that stick is a tiny sponge soaked with tempera paint. Drone goes 'boop' on the camera lens, and the entire system is disabled until an expensive technician drives out with a ladder and cleans the lens at non-trivial expense. A handful of enterprising activists could bl…

The goal here by activists isn't to directly physically disarm every camera. Like with any act of protest, it's at least as much about the optics and influence of public opinion. Visibly destroying the units is more cathartic and spreads the message of displeasure better. Ultimately what needs to change is public perception and policy.

There has been a pattern in the UK of destroying speed cameras for the same reasons - including in some cases throwing an old car tire around the pole and setting it on fire.

Seems to be getting more popular [https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/antiulez-campaigners-v...].

Re: Across the US, people are dismantling and destroying Flock surveillance cameras

#178

Is funny reading this from the UK because this ship sailed here years ago, you just have to assume if you drive a car anywhere except small roads in the countryside you are potentially being tracked by ANPR. Of course, actual serious criminals who are actively committing serious crimes just use fake plates so they aren't affected, it only really helps catch people who commit crimes on the spur of the moment (while al…

> except small roads in the countryside you are potentially being tracked by ANPR.

They do put them specifically whereever those roads join major roads though. Meanwhile the crime stats in the UK make chilling reading, as the focus on replacing Police officers with cameras, replacing courts with... nothing has lead to many crimes skyrocketing, especially those that are not associated with driving a car.

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeand...

Re: Across the US, people are dismantling and destroying Flock surveillance cameras

#180

In US law, if the camera is doing something unconstitutional, is damaging it a crime? Genuine question.

Almost certainly. Random people are not the legal arbiters of what’s unconstitutional.

I can’t say I disagree with what they’re doing, but it’s absolutely vigilante justice, not legal.

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