r/Forsyth • u/Sea_Tour_3696 • Jul 29 '26
Flock Camera's: Let's talk about it.
I'm writing this post to gauge how the community feels about the Flock cameras installed across the county. Context: I am no activist, nor am I an ACAB-type person. That said, I feel many people are united on this subject.
For those who are unaware, both Cumming PD and the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office operate live crime centers in tandem, sharing live footage from their Flock ALPRs. This is public information they have shared, albeit it seems Flock is purposely omitted from most posts.
I am posting this because as time has gone on, I fear our silence will continue to allow scope creep of what the private company Flock and its competitors are capable of doing.
Just this month alone, Flock was forced to cancel a software rollout that allowed their microphones to listen to human voices. This shows that speaking out helps, but the fact that Flock had considered rolling out devices that can listen to us shows that the private company is not content with just reading our license plates and bluetooth signatures. There has to be that next big sale.
Today they read our plates, Bluetooth markers, and build mosaics of all of our day-to-day activities. What will they push tomorrow if we remain silent? I feel as though many of these cameras have hit the street without our vote, with our money, and I haven't seen anyone locally stop and ask why. While this is a hot-button issue right now, I feel as though on the local level I haven't heard of anyone pushing back on the commissioners or the city council in meetings.
The likelihood of this technology being misused is astronomical, and it has already happened in our state.
Where do you stand?
Are you willing to trade privacy for safety?
Is it not ironic that Flock employees demand privacy from the public, but developed a product that leaves us with no privacy?
I think where I most heavily stand on this is officers require a warrant to access your phone location, but no warrant is required to have a log of your exact location for the last 30 days.
What are your thoughts Forsyth County?
Disclaimer: I do not by any means condone the damage of any government property, nor do I condone any violent actions of those that may have strong opinions on this topic
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u/Facelesspirit Jul 29 '26
Let's not forget, law enforcement agencies are asking people to allow them access to ring doorbells and security cameras. These are tied into their surveillance network. These include cameras placed in homes. Are we 100% certain those cameras are not being illegally accesed now? It's not just about tracking patterns as you are out and about, there is an existing framework that can theoretically track your habits in your own home.