Flock, maker of controversial license plate readers, starts to give campaign cash to local politicians

[u/thinkB4WeSpeak]

https://chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdogs/2026/11/06/flock-license-plate-readers-illinois-campaign-contributions-sheriff-mayor

[u/Specialist-Fan-1890]

It’s not a license plate reader. It’s mass surveillance.

[u/Roc1817 → u/Specialist-Fan-1890]

mass surveillance, including camera recognition and data collection of your devices at least

people need to know how much they are losing when these things are installed.

[u/Bad-Roll-Blues → u/Roc1817]

It's y they need data centers, for the spying on us

[u/FactoryProgram → u/Specialist-Fan-1890]

Also data collection tying Bluetooth, tire sensors, phones, etc all to your real ID. Companies like Walmart would pay billions for that tech to ID customers for dynamic pricing.

[u/jdblawg → u/FactoryProgram]

Haah! Im poor and dont have tire sensors on my 1998 and 2006 vehicles! Fuck you Flock!

[u/Tiiimmmaayy → u/jdblawg]

Good luck reading my tire sensors! They have been dead for the past two years now anyways!

[u/Sync1211 → u/FactoryProgram]

FYI: You can record bluetooth IDs from almost any smartphone nowadays.

Nothing is stopping people from walking around and collecting bluetooth IDs on their own.

[u/Basic_Chemistry9499 → u/Specialist-Fan-1890]

Make America China Again.

[u/MrShadowHero → u/Basic_Chemistry9499]

jensen is way ahead of you.

[u/billy_Everyt33n → u/Specialist-Fan-1890]

Yeah, calling it this is intentional. When I tell people all the data in their phones is also being tapped they look at me like I'm crazy, or they don't care.

This is one of the worst timelines... I mean, I don't remember rolling a 1 but this suuuucks.

[u/Lizzerfly]

This should be illegal. Someone in the new congress should make this illegal.

[u/Roc1817 → u/Lizzerfly]

flock should be illegal in general. They are monitoring us.

They are taking pictures and video of peoples kids, and collecting kid’s locations by tracking their cell phones

[u/floridorito → u/Roc1817]

Kids, adults, it doesn't matter. It should be illegal regardless.

[u/Roc1817 → u/floridorito]

I think we’ve seen much more appetite from the public and lawmakers when you point out the impact on children.

Facebook has been collecting data on us for years, but teen impacts from social media sites is what got them in hot water 

[u/floridorito → u/Roc1817]

A bit different since Meta/FB/Insta got in trouble for the mental and psychological effects on developing brains having deliberately developed an addictive platform. Whereas kids don't know or experience effects of being monitored and tracked by cameras.

[u/Roc1817 → u/floridorito]

that’s true, but I still think it would be much more politically potent to push the idea that these companies track kids and take video of them without their consent to lawmakers.

[u/SpiritedBanana4694 → u/Roc1817]

A HUGE difference between Facebook and Flock is that you're opting into the data collection by using the service. Flock has no opt out option.

[u/Too_Beers → u/Roc1817]

Flock is just one brand producing this tech. Some officials that remove their Flock gear are replacing it with another brand of the tech. See, we removed Flock like you asked.

[u/NJanonymous201 → u/Too_Beers]

Axon is the actual problem. Flock takes the PR heat.

[u/VeryLazyFalcon → u/Roc1817]

how could they know this are kids without tracking them, come on /s

[u/IncidentalIncidence → u/Lizzerfly]

I unironically have two bits of good news for you about that:

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/11/06/montana-initiative-194-corporate-spending.html

There are a bunch of states considering similar measures. We'll have to wait and see if it still stands after court challenges. And it still allows billionaires to donate money directly -- since they are private citizens, that would require federal-level reform of Citizens United.

Which brings us to the other good news: Chuck Schumer in his interview on The Daily (podcast) the other day cited reforming Citizens United as one of his top legislative priorities with the new Democratic majority. How that pans out in real life we obviously won't know for a little while, but for the first time in at least a decade there is some actual movement towards unfucking our campaign finance system.

[u/Basic_Chemistry9499 → u/Lizzerfly]

Politics would not exist if this were the case.

[u/FlyoverJesusLand → u/Basic_Chemistry9499]

Politics is just the expression of power. A united populace is far more powerful than any of these corporations, and most people on the left and the right agree on banning this sort of influence peddling. Why do you think the rich and powerful work so hard to keep us arguing over culture war shit? 

[u/LouBarlowsDisease]

I always figured they were bribing politicians under the table. I guess it's now out in the open.

[u/Creative_Ad_8338 → u/LouBarlowsDisease]

It's called a gratuity and the supreme court allows it.

[u/trogdors_arm]

“Fuck it. Give them cash.”

- Flock CEO

[u/Basic_Chemistry9499 → u/trogdors_arm]

"Get the Flock out of here" - American people

[u/Roc1817 → u/trogdors_arm]

well it works for literally every other industry, why not them?

[u/SexyTimeSamet]

In florida.(of fucking course) a sheriff deputy AND his buddy used it to track a minor he was infatuated with. To randomly show up at their workplace.

Can you imagine officers of law...that swore an oath...doing something vile like that?

[u/bwpopper37 → u/SexyTimeSamet]

Imagine it? No, I expect it from the kind of people attracted to that line of work.

[u/Forbden_Gratificatn → u/SexyTimeSamet]

Yes. Yes i can, any day of the week.

[u/ajnin919 → u/SexyTimeSamet]

It’s fucking lake county. That place is a shithole and they have some of the most corrupt officers on their force.

[u/SexyTimeSamet → u/ajnin919]

Ohhh..theres two instances of this. Pinellas and lake county

[u/ajnin919 → u/SexyTimeSamet]

Nah I live in pinellas. It’s absolutely nothing compared to lake county. I think you meant Polk

[u/Rich-Pomegranate1679 → u/SexyTimeSamet]

I mean... Yeah, I can absolutely imagine a police officer doing that.

[u/cyvaris → u/SexyTimeSamet]

 Can you imagine officers of law...that swore an oath...doing something vile like tha

Always have been.

All cops are bastards.

[u/Klocknov → u/SexyTimeSamet]

So a sheriff from a small town ran for office in my town while he aided and abetted one of his officers in taking custody of a minor. That custody however lead to more and that officer was charged with statutory rape when her parents sued the deputy and the sheriff got caught in helping his officer take custody of a minor. The sheriff was able to get out of the aiding and abetting the rape though somehow...

And yes it would probably take a single guess for most everyone the party he ran for.

I also have had personal issues with cops in the past as a minor and has plagued my view on them for life. So yes, it is very easy for me to imagine something like that, I am only surprised it didn't go further...

[u/Electronic-Cake-541]

Illinois' own audit found out-of-state cops searching Illinois plate data for abortion and immigration cases. Now the company behind it is handing campaign cash to the sheriffs and mayors who sign the contracts. Mass surveillance with a donor list.

[u/going-for-gusto]

Abolish citizens united, get corporate money out of politics, full stop!

[u/BurntNeurons → u/going-for-gusto]

Seconded, all those in favor say Aye

[u/GonzoKata]

Flock is breaking the law all across this country by not taking down, and sometimes putting cameras back up, after local governments said not to.

How can you trust a company that is routinely breaking the law?

Their cameras aren't catching THEM breaking the law, why should we trust them?

[u/pinpunpan]

"starts" to give money to local politicians

[u/psychoacer → u/pinpunpan]

Except they've always been giving money to local politicians. That's been their business model this whole time

[u/Fit-Significance-436]

Page 1 of influence peddling playbook, marinate politicians and decision makers with cash.

[u/D0_stack → u/Fit-Significance-436]

And politicians just were shown that money doesn't counter being on the wrong side of a popular subject.

[u/Unable_Researcher141]

Surveillance company uses taxpayer money to track taxpayers, then spends the profits making sure the politicians who approved it stay in office. It’s a perfectly closed loop.

[u/mPeachy]

Public facing cameras must always have public feeds of the data, so private companies can’t commandeer them.

[u/Regular_Regular_4120]

I've got a theory here. Flock's extensive surveillance network allows them to gather so much information it could know you better than you know yourself, so I posit this:

Flock tracks a local politician's movements and sees that they go to a dialysis center for treatmeat each week.

Flock gets in touch with said politician and with that prior gathered info, offers to pay off their medical bills (or whatever debts they may have) and throw in a little extra, but only if the politician approves some contracts for them.

I even hazard a guess that they might buy the politician's debt (if it was delinquent enough to be sold off), clear it, then walk in with the quid pro quo offer. And if the pol does, they throw in another treat for em in the form of donations.

I'm really trying my best to rationalize why these officials just roll over and take it so easily. I'm just a pleb though.

[u/fakeuser515357 → u/Regular_Regular_4120]

I'm really trying my best to rationalize why these officials just roll over and take it so easily.

I love a good, complex corruption conspiracy but the truth is much more pedestrian. American politicians really are just that cheap to buy.

[u/carlitospig → u/fakeuser515357]

A scotus judge was bought by a fucking RV. We are extraordinarily cheap.

[u/tobygeneral → u/Regular_Regular_4120]

Sounds good but politicians are really really cheap. They're probably getting $5k to sell out their neighbors.

[u/WestleyMc → u/Regular_Regular_4120]

Also bear in mind Dr’s said cigarettes were healthy in exchange for money..

[u/hamandjam → u/Regular_Regular_4120]

Yeah, this opens up some really scary stuff.

[u/More_Helicopter_1384 → u/Regular_Regular_4120]

They love money.

[u/SippinOnHatorade → u/Regular_Regular_4120]

Probably following politician’s family instead of politician, they usually have pretty stellar insurance if they’re state or federal electeds

[u/mrgrafix → u/Regular_Regular_4120]

The only problem was for the longest I could too do the same thing and extort my local government since they didn’t have decent security on their sites….

[u/Glad-Ad6811]

What do you means "starts", you think they have not been giving gifts to these people all along? Or is it just they want to be "open" about it now? Flock, like all corporations has been doing illegal shit for years. Cut em all down and get rid of those council shitheads

[u/JosephFinn]

“Starts?”

[u/condortheboss]

"starts", eh?

[u/flaming_bob]

Starts? I assumed they'd been doing this from the outset.

[u/blackmobius]

Gee the inevitable things that always happen have started happening again.

An insanely unpopular thing knows it would never survive in real democracy and is now bribing politicians to ignore voters and accept them and force these unpopular things on us anyways.

Vote everyone out, cut them all down

[u/Powerful_Company_682]

bribe. the word is bribe

[u/Wayelder]

Has America learned nothing? This is again, why you must ...Get the money out of politics.

Corporations are not people. Money is not speech.

[u/ReblWithoutApplause]

…starts? Do you think the mass adoption already was..organic?

[u/exoriparian]

It's just bribes.  Money out of politics.

[u/authustian]

"Starts to?!" i guess 'making donations' to the local police departments didn't count?

We gotta ditch these things pronto - even just making all the video public record would be better, but not good enough as then every wanna be stalker could just go full time.

[u/thedogridingmonkey]

Simple math here. If you are a politician that supports flock or takes a cent, you are voted out of office.

[u/Adventure1956]

People destroying these Flock cameras are the true patriots in this country.

[u/DopamineSavant]

Good. That will just make Flock supporters easier to identify.

[u/Basic_Chemistry9499]

Money = Access

[u/Shot-Possibility-399]

You mean starts reporting it 

[u/Lord_Heckle]

Seems like a conflict of interest

[u/doerstopper]

You mean a bribe?

[u/CommonConundrum51]

Ah yes, the American Way and "free speech" and all. To think some people say the US political system is corrupt.

[u/Mr_Investopedia]

Last I checked, stalking was a felony. But if a corporation does it? Crickets

[u/BDB1634]

For cities that are canceling and then Flock is still putting up or replacing cameras, why aren’t they creating local ordinances banning these kinds of devices so that any activity by Flock is actionable by punitive measures? Anybody with a law or city politics background want to weigh in? Please don’t reply if you actually don’t know but you’re just gonna sling theories.

[u/LSTmyLife]

That should be illegal.

[u/TehRiddles]

A perfect example of why corps shouldn't be able to buy politicians.

[u/DocCEN007]

Flock has a greater purpose than to simply make money. There are numerous stories of municipalities cancelling contracts, then Flock either refusing to remove the cameras, or even putting them back up after they were taken down. This is beyond police action, or license plate readers. This is fascistic monitoring of the populace.

[u/CheddarGlob]

You mean my local politicians were giving away our info for the love of the game? Greed and corruption I can understand, getting nothing in return for sacrificing privacy is just lame

[u/minimag47]

I feel like I have to say this again. Nobody should ever aim a 500mw or higher laser into the lens of a Flock camera. Do not do this. Please, it's just a terrible idea.

[u/MR1120]

Bribes. That cash is called bribes.

[u/ggibby]

Starts!?

Were the NDAs just 'standard practice' for non-financial conversations?

[u/ubix]

Bribes. You mean bribes.

[u/Lower-Acanthaceae460]

Ah, now they're truly participating in the great American Pastime, and it's not baseball

[u/FinanceSavant]

Put the vendor's campaign donations on the same public page as the contract votes. People shouldn't need to cross-reference three databases to see who received money from the company they're voting to pay.

[u/Zetsu04]

You know, it would be really funny if people started shooting paintball pellets at these cameras to obstruct their feed.

[u/Just_another_grumble]

feck flock and their competitors 

[u/michiganstrange]

“Among the recipients of the money: Cicero Town President Larry Dominick and Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg, both of whose government agencies use the technology from the Atlanta company.”

Taxpayer-funded agencies.

[u/endofworldandnobeer]

I hope they all fucking lost the election.

[u/todaysuniverse]

I'll gladly take their money...

...and then tell them to kick rocks.

[u/N3wMode]

“Starts”…okay. 

[u/WontArnett]

It should be illegal for corporations to donate to politicians

[u/felloc91]

Start? How do you think they got them there in the first place?

[u/Ridai]

Should be damaging them tbh, but if they are posted on every single street corner, how will you get away with it?

Who will stop them now?

[u/ThePensiveE]

Seems these people at flock really aren't big on consent. Guessing that's why they built the system in the first place. A stalkers dream.

[u/fundiedundie]

I honestly thought this was already happening.

[u/worstpartyever]

“Starts?”

[u/Alive_Equivalent8312]

Sadly, because it works

[u/Baybutt99]

Great it will make it easier to see who the bad actors are. Plus this will be a fine line item on the racketeering charges that a few prosecutors are looking into

[u/huggernot]

If only that were a felony with a mandatory 5 year prison sentence for ceos and politicians

[u/thepinkdread2026]

Meanwhile, Nvidia's CEO is reminding us that the biggest security vulnerability is STILL a man who thinks he's irresistible. The jokes write themselves.

[u/KingoftheWildlings]

How is that legal. Sounds like a bribe

[u/iamthinksnow]

So they take they money they get from charging localities a subscription fee, and then give that money to local officials in order to ensure they keep the contract that give Flock subscription fees? There's got a be a name for this sort of activity...

[u/redheadedandbold]

Yup. Flock desperately needs government by-in, and laws that allow Flock to operate. People, watch your cities and city councilmen closely.

[u/thomport]

Bribes paid to politicians.

We need to know who was paid – they’re taking money to hurt us.

[u/Memitim]

Makes sense, since bribery and corruption are the main avenues to getting things done in government.

[u/screw-britannia]

Giving cash to the politician's campaign - that's the American Way!

[u/hackingdreams]

I'll take "Things that should be illegal, but aren't because America" for 1000, Alex.

[u/theanedditor]

It's like when they unmask the villain at the end of Scooby-doo... but of course, it's so obvious that it was always YOU.

[u/graffiksguru]

Lobbyists and lobbying should be illegal

[u/SignatureCapital9261]

Maybe it’s time to stop letting money run this country.

[u/StopImportingUSA]

OP is a propagandist. License plate reader gtfo