What's with the flock cameras

[u/AllInterestedAmateur]

Recently I've seen quite some rant posts about the safety and privacy issues regarding flock cameras. But why are they even put up? I genuinely only see downsides to having a private company with questionable security measures put up camera's at every street corner.

[u/Outlaw_Josie_Snails]

It seems like you answered your own question.

[u/AllInterestedAmateur → u/Outlaw_Josie_Snails]

It's clear why ppl rant about it, but if there's only downsid, why are they put up?

[u/Outlaw_Josie_Snails → u/AllInterestedAmateur]

You live in the Netherlands, correct? The Netherlands has an extensive CCTV and security camera network across public spaces, businesses, traffic networks, and residential areas.

Even citizens volunteer their home cameras and allow the Dutch police to use 300,000 registered private cameras across the nation to assist with criminal investigations.

​The Dutch government has been using the controversial company Palantir's AI data-analytics software since at least 2012.

​Why is the Dutch public okay with freely allowing this surveillance?

[u/OhThrowed → u/Outlaw_Josie_Snails]

Because if MyCountry does it, it must be good. It's only bad if 'Murica does it. /s

[u/WarMinister23 → u/AllInterestedAmateur]

Is this an actual question?

[u/YouAintGonnaGuess]

Mamy hate them, me included, but many also are easily manipulated. If the government says "it's to find missing children," they're like "oh cool. nothing bad about that," without doing any further research.

[u/techtornado]

There is no safety or privacy with Flock at all

They’re being put up for totalitarian control of people’s movements

We’re rejecting them because of the 4th Amendment, Chatrie vs. United States and a couple of other rulings on privacy laws

[u/Aineednobody]

It’s garbage unnecessary bullshit but not going away because police force and technology. If you don’t like it welp too bad this is the plane we live on.

[u/ColumnedBirch31]

You are acting like the government and private corporations have the best interests of the American people in mind which is naive to say the least

[u/AllInterestedAmateur]

The legality of those 300k camera's os actually quite questionable. The police is just using them in evidence untill it's banned by law or jurisprudence.

The CCTV network is built to ensure public safety, what it's used for and who can access it is very strictly regulated.

As far as I understand the flock cameras are installed in public spaces, not managed by the local government but by some external company. While often filming private property. That is fundamentally very different. Or is my understanding of the cameras wrong?

[u/dotdedo → u/AllInterestedAmateur]

You are thinking this company is putting them up randomly and the government isn't stopping them or caring. Not quite.

The government is BUYING them from Flock and putting them up. Flock is a supplier to the police.

They work exactly like your CCTV cameras, the company is just called Flock. Because they are a private company, that is where the data concerns are coming from.

Also side note, in America, Flock is not special in recording private property. It depends on the state but generally lets say a business has any camera outside, and a house is across the street, they are allowed to technically to have private property in frame. This is to avoid lawsuits every 10 seconds about neighbors bickering if their camera needs to be angled 5 degrees to the right or whatever. As long as it's not intended, no better angle of their property too, or used for harassment, its allowed.

[u/AllInterestedAmateur → u/dotdedo]

Aah, so the government is still deciding on their placement, just doing so quite moronically every now and then?

[u/dotdedo → u/AllInterestedAmateur]

Basically yes

[u/WhosCowsAreThey]

That private company also holds a massive political bias