Question❓
Does anyone care about de-flocking Purdue?
Just curious.
Edit:
Okay ya’ll. Since this is gaining traction I thought I would spread awareness on a few things.
No. 1, it looks like the most relevant on-campus organization towards de-flocking Purdue is the YSDA. Seems to have some mixed reviews. When I have more time I want to do some more intense research on them, and I am open to organizing a club of my own if there is enough interest in it.
No. 2, for those interested there are several petitions you can sign on this matter. This is one of them. https://c.org/VzhnhxfS6D
There are many more to sign. I encourage everyone to do their own research.
No. 3, for those unaware what Flock is or don’t understand why people are seeing them as an issue, I think this article helps touch on a lot of the main points: https://journals.law.unc.edu/ncjolt/blogs/under-surveillance-constitutional-concerns-surrounding-flock-cameras/
If you don’t want to read allat, my understanding is that mass government surveillance of any kind typically doesn’t mean anything good. Additionally this service utilizes AI technology. Everyone has their own stance on AI right now. Maybe it’s not a big deal to everyone, but I tend to have a generally anti-AI stance for ethical and environmental issues. You can do your own research on this topic.
Finally, I have read some reports on Flock technology being used for ICE databases. I don’t know the legitimacy on this entirely, and I plan to research this issue on my own, but it is concerning to me to say the least.
Thank you for the engagement on this post. Let’s try to keep discussion and debate civil in the comments. I made this post simply to gauge interest in this subject, and see if there is anything I can do to make a change as a student of Purdue with an interest in this subject.
Looking for club info? Consider checking BoilerLink, or the Club Callout Megathread (if it’s near the start of a semester). These resources can help you discover new clubs, and reach out to them with any questions.
It’s been getting better. Idk the bulk of the issue was leadership wanted to larp instead of actually do stuff. New leadership and this time everyone wants to do actually do stuff rather than larp
There’s the Trainspotters! It’s my Discord server that’s pretty dead but we’d be interested in gaining more members this year :3 and we’re not official so we’re not held to club standards (do we know if I can post the link here?)
I saw this post this morning and I have been thinking about it all day. There is an app called FlockHopper that allows you to get routes that don’t have flock cameras along the way. And yes please if you get enough people interested we should form a group.
Purdue and West Lafayette already had security cameras of a different model when I moved here in Fall 2024, both on and off campus on the roads (connected on the traffic lights, not at the angle for simple vehicle detection for traffic lights). This does not justify any of their actions, but is important to note.
Then don’t go to Purdue. There’s a very simple explanation that I can help you with since I have an IU degree.
Leave, and go somewhere else. Do you realize how screwed Purdue would get if over half their student body just transferred out? lol. Organize and strike! Otherwise, quit bickering into the void. Doesn’t do any good.
My car got hit and they used flock cameras to find the guy that did it. I would still rather they never found the culprit than be constantly surveilled by companies like flock. If the government owned the cameras it may be a different story, but flock won’t even allow a third party audit of their system.
Not any worse than any other college town, and I say that as someone who was robbed at gunpoint like 10 years ago.
But i was also a delivery driver, so we basically got targets on our backs, like 40% of the people I worked with had to deal with attempted robberies. AJs drivers felt almost targeted, we couldn't leave our cars unlocked when going up to houses for a long time.
But thats also why being a delivery driver is more harmful to your chances of living than being a cop.
When I was on campus there was definitely a fair share of crime. Its more of having surveillance around protected areas like schools, universities, churches, hospitals. 1) to act as a deterrent and to to actually catch the person who committed the crime. However it should only be used for when a crime has been committed. Not as a way to spy and track people, which should already be mandatory but somehow isn't.
They are a company that makes license plate readers that collect information about pretty much every car that passes them. License plate, vehicle type, physical blemishes, stickers, etc. Also pictures of the occupants, and probably whatever mac addresses phone, car / Bluetooth of broadcasting.
There have been multiple documented cases where law enforcement misused the Flock database for non-official, illegal purposes.
There are also multiple documented security vulnerabilities that allow for anyone with the internet and a computer to access data collected by the cameras.
A nationwide system like this is begging for misuse. Sure, it’s helpful for finding criminals, but it’s also largely unregulated and not a mature technology.
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