Americans are destroying Flock surveillance cameras • Hacker News Board

Re: Americans are destroying Flock surveillance cameras

#201

Post by cyanydeez » Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 9:48 PM UTC

the__alchemist wrote: post #10

This breakdown in rule of law is unfortunate. Ideally, this would be handled by, in order of desirability: - Flock decision-makers and customers holding ethics as a priority, and not taking the actions they are due to sense of duty, community, morals etc - Peer pressure resulting in ostracization of Flock execs and decision makers until they stop the unethical behavior - Governments using legislation and law enforcem…

I think you already jumped to far. You can't break the law when the law is broken by every other tier of society.

Sorry, try again!

Re: Americans are destroying Flock surveillance cameras

#202

Post by margalabargala » Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 9:48 PM UTC

bezier-curve wrote: post #186

roysting wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are unfortunately, for whatever your reasons you have, barking up the wrong tree. The people already made a law, the supreme law in fact, called the Constitution. In fact the capital criminals in this matter are the people violating and betraying that supreme law; the politicians, sheriffs, city councils, and even the YC funders behind Flock, etc. It is in fact not even just violating the supreme law, but though…

Where in the Constitution does it require us to give up our privacy to private companies with little oversight? Seems like there's contention here. https://journals.law.unc.edu/ncjolt/blogs/under-surveillance...

The person you replied to is saying usage Flock is violating the constitution.

Re: Americans are destroying Flock surveillance cameras

#203

Post by realo » Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 9:48 PM UTC

yardie wrote: post #178

wrs wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What confuses me is that no revolution is required. All we had to do to avoid this was to vote. Voting would still (probably) work.

Not sure if you are aware but we rarely directly get to vote on these things. You vote for a representative and hope they vote in a way that serves your interests. But now, we have omnibus bills. And it's 50/50 loaded with things we want and things we don't. The same bill that funds Pre-K will also have a section to fund a kitten shredding machine. But if you vote against it all voters will hear is how you don't want…

I do not live in the USA, but my understanding of those omnibus bills is that they are government blackmail of its people.

I remember being horrified the first time I heard this was legal in the USA.

How can the US citizens accept such a brutal denying of good governance is beyond me.

Re: Americans are destroying Flock surveillance cameras

#204

Post by psadauskas » Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 9:49 PM UTC

kakacik wrote: post #110

psadauskas wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Voting doesn't work as well when there's billions of dollars being spent to influence the votes to make billionaires richer, while the working class that could vote against it is too busy working 3 part time jobs just to survive.

[flagged]

The amorality was not in plain sight, if your only source of news is Fox News or Breitbart or Twitter.

Re: Americans are destroying Flock surveillance cameras

#205

Post by roysting » Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 9:49 PM UTC

giantg2 wrote: post #123

wrs wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What confuses me is that no revolution is required. All we had to do to avoid this was to vote. Voting would still (probably) work.

"All we had to do to avoid this was to vote." Every time I hear this I cringe, whether this subject or any other. The people did vote and this is what they got - not necessarily what they specifically voted for. Different people hold things in different importance. Flock security cameras (or similar) generally don't even get noticed by the people voting on taxes, guns, abortions, etc.

Not to mention that most of the most upending, consequential changes and events in America were not only not voted on, but were wildly opposed by the populace, yet were imposed anyways and today, after decades of government “education”, people vigorously support and defend those tyrannical impositions.

Re: Americans are destroying Flock surveillance cameras

#206

Post by fc417fc802 » Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 9:49 PM UTC

taurath wrote: post #102

KittenInABox wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the contrary I think Americans are reacting about the same as any other set of people would react. There are always going to be people who, as long as their personal lives are stable, they are not going to do anything to put that stability at risk. America is also huge enough that even if one part of the country is having a crisis, millions of fellow citizens will not hear of it or have any 2nd, 3rd or 4th hand co…

Let’s be clear though - it’s not that Americans are clinging to some deep stability that brings them comfort or relaxation, it’s that they’re on the edge already. The vast vast majority of people are barely able to afford the basics of life, while we’re bombarded with an ever more shameless wealthy elite’s privileges. Politics is like water boiling - it’s just going to be little bubbles at first but all of a sudden i…

Is that really the case? It seems to me that the vast majority in the US can fairly easily afford a fair bit of material luxury, mostly because material luxuries have become incredibly cheap (by historical standards).

The trouble is at least in the high population areas (AFAICT) a huge swath of "average" people seem to be stuck living life on a paycheck-to-paycheck basis, renting, no prospect of property ownership, minimal to zero retirement savings, no realistic way to afford children, etc. Not abnormal by historic or global standards but very abnormal when compared to the past ~150 years of US history.

Re: Americans are destroying Flock surveillance cameras

#207

Post by ok_dad » Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 9:50 PM UTC

lm28469 wrote: post #60

the__alchemist wrote: post #10

This breakdown in rule of law is unfortunate. Ideally, this would be handled by, in order of desirability: - Flock decision-makers and customers holding ethics as a priority, and not taking the actions they are due to sense of duty, community, morals etc - Peer pressure resulting in ostracization of Flock execs and decision makers until they stop the unethical behavior - Governments using legislation and law enforcem…

> This breakdown in rule of law is unfortunate. Yearly reminder to read: https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/kurz-the-discourse-of-vol...

This is excellent, I second your suggestion for everyone to read this.

Re: Americans are destroying Flock surveillance cameras

#208

Post by apparent » Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 9:50 PM UTC

_ink_ wrote: post #194

Why were those installed in the first place?

Speaking only for areas near where I live, it was in response to a persistent uptick in home invasions. Police can't be everywhere at once, and LPR cameras flag stolen cars and mismatched plates that thieves like to use.

Re: Americans are destroying Flock surveillance cameras

#209

Post by meindnoch » Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 9:51 PM UTC

the__alchemist wrote: post #10

This breakdown in rule of law is unfortunate. Ideally, this would be handled by, in order of desirability: - Flock decision-makers and customers holding ethics as a priority, and not taking the actions they are due to sense of duty, community, morals etc - Peer pressure resulting in ostracization of Flock execs and decision makers until they stop the unethical behavior - Governments using legislation and law enforcem…

Would someone please think of the rule of law?! :'((((

Re: Americans are destroying Flock surveillance cameras

#210

Post by kstrauser » Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 9:51 PM UTC

cg5280 wrote: post #88

steviedotboston wrote: post #43

This is really bad for all the reasons that people have mentioned (vigilante "justice" never is a good thing) but people have a misplaced understanding of right and wrong here. Flock cameras have helped solve some major crimes, and people will be glad to have this technology around if they are ever a victim.

My confusion stems from the fact that mass surveillance is already pretty normal in major cities. Your face is on a dozen cameras anytime you walk through the grocery store. Your precise location is pinged off cell towers multiple times a day. I understand specific qualms with Flock as a company and how they manage the data, but this libertarian demand for total privacy in public spaces has been long lost and the bee…

We already have mass surveillance, and yet we still have major crimes. It's not working, and I see no reason to believe that removing more freedom will lead to having safer streets. Why are we giving up liberty and getting nothing in return? That's an excellent reason to protest against adding more surveillance.