The Surveillance State Is Bigger Than Flock
The short version: Banish Big Brother's Zach and Elizabeth show that Flock is just one piece of a much bigger surveillance puzzle spreading through American cities.
Our Take
Credit to Zach and Elizabeth at Banish Big Brother for zooming out on this one. It's easy to get tunnel vision on Flock Safety because the company is aggressive, well-funded, and everywhere — but as this episode points out, the surveillance creep goes deeper than any single vendor. A Wisconsin PD installing ALPR cameras without even telling city leaders isn't a Flock problem, it's a transparency problem. That kind of end-run around basic oversight is exactly why we keep pushing people to find out what's actually deployed in their own towns.
The flip side matters too: a Tennessee sheriff turning down license plate readers because the tradeoff for liberty wasn't worth it. That's a reminder that adoption isn't inevitable — it's a choice local officials make, and pressure from residents can tip that choice. The Institute for Justice's new database tracking ALPR abuses is a solid resource for anyone building the case against these systems in their own jurisdiction.
What really stands out is the bigger trend they highlight: cities in Georgia and California mandating that private businesses install and maintain surveillance cameras just to get a permit or stay open. That's the surveillance state outsourcing its build-out to gas stations and landlords, no public vote required. It's worth checking our camera map to see what's already watching your block, and if you want to push back on any of this locally, our take-action page has a starting point.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Banish Big Brother, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.