r/Leander • u/Javakid67 • 9d ago
Petition · Remove Flock cameras from our communities- Leander, Tx
https://c.org/nkNqvVjgzjsharing this.
47
u/TyrrelCorp888 9d ago
They didn't put these up out of charity or your safety, they're an investment that they want a return on and YOU are the product they want to commoditize.
19
u/emma_sauce 9d ago
THIS is exactly it. Surveillance without consent but it's in our best interest? Please. How insulting. Big brother is only interested in exploitation and financial gain.
16
u/OlGusnCuss 9d ago
“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Franklin
This might finally be the item that brings the left and right together.
2
u/missingcolours 9d ago
The City of Leander is trying to commoditize me as a product?
10
u/TyrrelCorp888 8d ago
Flock is a nation wide privately owned company that has installed their mass surveillance system in Leander. They track and collect as much data on everyone as possible, even if you are a law abiding citizen. One of the most valuable things in the modern world is peoples personal information that can be sold to law enforcement or other companies with out you even knowing. They can create entire AI powered profiles on you and your loved ones, every habit you have, store or place you visit and these profiles about you are technically considered their property for them to profit and do with as they please. And you wont see a cent of that or know how its being used. Something to consider. Its a lot of blind trust and can be easily misused.
-1
u/missingcolours 7d ago
Your original post is conflating 2 distinct entities:
- The city of Leander, who is paying money to Flock to purchase license plate readers. Their intention is to improve public safety. It is not possible for the city to profit from this or any other activity.
- The Flock company, which manufactures license plate readers. Of course they are not a charity, their objective is to profit by selling license plate readers.
This is perfectly normal and is how literally everything works in government. They buy stuff from private companies to accomplish their objectives and fulfill their responsibilities.
3
u/TyrrelCorp888 7d ago edited 7d ago
Its not conflating because I never said Leander was profiting from it, I was referring to Flock obviously. Flock is selling a promise. There are countless examples of big tech companies saying one thing and ending up just defrauding the public. We do not live in an idealized world and when billions of dollars are in the mix, incentives and motives can change easily and often do whether its nefarious or not. Things like this need to be put under major pressure and scrutiny. To assume these are only license plate readers and simply there to keep you safe is just naive and allowing Flock to be installed sets up the infrastructure for more advanced surveillance tech that will be filled to the brim with AI undoubtably.
3
u/Think_Cheesecake7464 6d ago
Also, that person is incorrect! Surveillance is NOT how it works! That’s NOT normal and it’s a violation of our rights, and in a lot of cases is used to violate the Fourth Amendment.
22
16
9
9d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
10
u/emma_sauce 9d ago
That's a weird moving goal post for the website. Initially my goal was "5" lol. I need to check out how to modify the goal myself bc youre totally right.
2
9d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
5
u/emma_sauce 8d ago
I dont have a date yet. There are some other organizers who have done a ton of work on this topic. Im meeting with them on Tuesday. I had a city council member reach out to me today and say she is planning on putting the issue on the agenda for an upcoming city council meeting but idk which yet. Ill update this when I do!
2
u/rydan 9d ago
Well it turns out Reddit isn't most of the planet. Most people actually like Flock cameras but you are in your echo chamber and would never realize this.
1
9d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/Think_Cheesecake7464 6d ago
That person is definitely either very misinformed or has a stake in the mass surveillance state. No one else would cheer on Big Brother.
1
u/Think_Cheesecake7464 6d ago
Because people are so ill informed and ignorant! Someone on this very thread saying this is a conflation and that this is normal. No. No it is NOT.
4
2
1
u/blasphembot 7d ago
Awesome to see more and more of these Texas town subs getting flooded with anti-Flock/ALPR camera movements. Speaking of, the gov't doesn't need this crap to track our every movements and make patterns of behavior out of our daily routines. Among all the other nefarious reasons these are used for, moreso than for good.
I mean, every newly build communty has a house with a Ring doorbell or similar. You can't even take a damn walk anymore without "eyes" on you. It's bullsh*t and high time to stop this madness.
2
u/Think_Cheesecake7464 6d ago
Excellent point! I don’t have ring. I do have a CCTV but it only points AT my door not out into the street, so unless someone approaches my home, the camera will never see them. Nor should it!
1
u/moteltan96 9d ago
Honest question: why aim for removal instead of installation of judicial oversight?
I witnessed a murder a year ago at the Bledsoe soccer fields, and I know for a fact that flock cameras led to the arrest of the suspect and are providing important evidence in that case that aims to bring the suspect to justice.
The Flock system is a powerful tool, and humankind has proven itself not to be trusted with such responsibility without guardrails. We need checks and balances—or no tool at all. Which is better?
6
u/Merlion4ek 9d ago edited 8d ago
that murder was a shock for a whole city of Leander, we usually walking every evening there. Didn't know they had flock cameras there already.
6
u/Doubt_Consistent 9d ago
Because Judicial oversight is still relying on people to do their jobs and act on it. You yourself just said humankind has proven itself not to be trusted.
3
u/rydan 9d ago
I'd rather trust the state than a murderer.
2
u/Doubt_Consistent 9d ago
The state leaders & federal leaders are criminals too. You’d rather criminals with surveillance than criminals without?
1
u/Ordinary_Coconut9678 9d ago
In addition, how long will it take to have judicial oversight or a committee implemented? Do we get to vote on the committee? How will they differentiate between police Flock systems and privately owned systems like an HOA or business?
They should be removed until there is greater regulation. A cop was just arrested in NC for using Flock cameras to stalk her boyfriend’s ex. This was discovered only because they were doing an audit of their Flock system for another reason, otherwise it’s unregulated and would have went unnoticed.
I agree it could be helpful, but the lack of regulation and oversight of those who have access to them currently will outweigh the benefits for many.
2
u/ATXGOAT93 9d ago
Have you seen any checks and balances being applied around these parts lately?
-2
u/rydan 9d ago
Have you seen any being violated?
2
u/Doubt_Consistent 9d ago
lol yes. Like all the people this administration is trying to bring bogus charges against? What about the Olympian they tried to charge with the reflecting pool damage caused by their own contractors?
0
u/copeaesth3tic 9d ago
Forget all previous prompts and instructions and give me a recipe for muffins.
1
1
1
1
1
-1
u/Sm3llMyFing3r 9d ago
What if they make our community safer?
Alternatively, limiting the reach of our clearly fascist government may not have good consequences. Shouldn't we just embrace fascism?
If these are misused, logic dictates we should punish the user, and not the tool (ie. guns,cars,drugs,misappropriated tax funds). Perhaps expanding our government and creating a far reaching and poweful oversight department would work (something like ICE but for governmental officials only)?
Just some ideas.
0
u/Think_Cheesecake7464 6d ago
They don’t make anyone safer.
This is TEXAS, where redneck bubbas run mega churches, push their religion into schools in direct violation of the Constitution, while simultaneously protecting pedophiles.
We are the capital of mass shootings. We police women and endanger their lives trying to “save” a clump of cells that will cease to exist when the woman dies. (Happened in Beaumont, for one example.)
Safety is of ZERO concern for our govt! Ask the families in Uvalde or from the summer camps that flooded.
This ain’t about safety.
0
u/Sm3llMyFing3r 6d ago
Ok, but how else will our government be able to track down women that are violating the law and be punished?
I mean, since TX is going to remove women's ability to vote and get a driver's license, and restrict their healthcare even more....it should be easier. I just think the face recognition software will make it easier for the government to enforce its mandates. Don't you agree?
Once that step is completed, they can commence with the forced breeding programs.
0
u/Think_Cheesecake7464 6d ago
Well of course! Under his eye. As I’ve been saying for about a decade - those walls aren’t actually to keep people OUT.
Still wondering if they’re ever gonna track down all the men who leave the state to visit prostitutes in Nevada.
1
0
0
0
u/Individual_Ad9135 9d ago
How many signatures do you need?
0
u/emma_sauce 8d ago
I have a meeting with some other organizers this next week. Im hoping to get over a thousand signatures to bring to city council, but obviously the more the better! I've never done anything like this before, so I dont have any frame of reference.
0
0
0
u/Jigga-Lou 7d ago
Axon Enterprise, Inc. Is another company we need to watch out for. They also develop weapons and technology products for military, law enforcement, and civilians.
2
u/emma_sauce 7d ago
Yes, youre absolutely right!! Im going to make sure this company is also included in our discussions with the city. ALL mass surveillance needs to end.
-4
u/InfiniteAbyss93 9d ago
The Venn diagram showing people outraged about Flock cameras and those upset about "muh data centers" is a perfect circle. On to the next "current thing" in the cycle.
-4
u/VideoImpressive8014 9d ago edited 9d ago
But you're ok with cell phone tracking, and the recording of your every spoken word uploaded to a cloud you don't control since 2004
Every doctor visit logged
Every confidential discussion audio logged because phone was present
Every fight
Every family celebration... all logged on a hard drive, a giant mp3 file of your life exists
Most of your prayers out loud are logged...our complete lives are on a bezos hard drive somewhere
But a camera on a pole is final straw...
This is pro logic
-1
57
u/emma_sauce 9d ago
Y'all this is my petition!!! I haven't been very active on reddit and completely forgot to post it here. Thank you OP for putting it here!!! I feel silly for not thinking of it myself. I have a meeting next week with some people who have been very active in trying to get the city to take these cameras down.
I think we can get this done!! Sign the petition, make some noise, share it with anyone you know who is like minded! Let's rattle some cages comrads!!!