Trump on flock cameras: “I like them.”

Our Take

When a soundbite like this makes the rounds, it's worth pausing on what it actually reveals: mass surveillance isn't a partisan project. Whether it's a mayor, a police chief, or a former president, the appeal of "just a few cameras keeping us safe" gets pitched the same way to everyone — and it usually skips right past questions about who's watching, how long the data is kept, and who else gets access to it.

Credit to Brian Tyler Cohen for surfacing the clip, but we'd push back on taking any politician's one-line endorsement at face value. Flock's pitch to elected officials rarely mentions data-sharing agreements with federal agencies, the lack of warrant requirements, or the thousands of searches these networks quietly log every year. "I like them" is not a policy, and it's definitely not oversight.

If a politician you didn't vote for is cheering on a camera network that tracks every car in your town, that's a good moment to check whether Flock has already set up shop near you. Look at our map and see what your local government has signed off on — then head to take action if you don't like what you find.