Flock cameras blinded by expanding foam

Our Take

The video from Digital ID, Mass Surveillance and Digital Currency shows someone taking direct, literal action against a Flock Safety camera — gumming up its lens with expanding foam. We don't know the full circumstances, and we're not in the business of encouraging vandalism or illegal activity. But the clip is a pretty blunt symptom of a bigger problem: when communities feel like they have no real say in whether these cameras go up, no clear line of sight into who's accessing the data, and no meaningful way to opt out, some people are going to take matters into their own hands.

That frustration doesn't come out of nowhere. Flock's ALPR network has expanded into thousands of neighborhoods with minimal public debate, often installed quietly by local police departments or HOAs without a real community vote. Every plate that passes gets logged, timestamped, and geotagged — creating a movement history on ordinary people who've done nothing wrong, retained and shared across jurisdictions in ways most residents never agreed to.

Credit to the channel for putting a spotlight on what's happening on the ground, even if DIY camera sabotage isn't a strategy we'd recommend. The better fight is the public one: knowing where these cameras actually are and pushing your city council for transparency, audit logs, and sunset clauses. Check our camera map to see what's been deployed near you, and head to our take-action page for ways to push back through the front door — public comment, open records requests, and local organizing — rather than a can of foam.