We have to draw the line (sorry about the audio) #flock #deflock #datacenter #standtogether #1984

Our Take

Credit to The 6:8 Project for getting this out despite admittedly rough audio — sometimes the message matters more than the mic quality. The title says it plainly: we have to draw the line. That's the same conclusion a lot of regular people are reaching once they realize how quietly ALPR networks like Flock Safety's have spread into their own towns, feeding plate scans into databases that can be queried by agencies far outside the county that installed the camera.

The '1984' tag isn't hyperbole when you look at the actual mechanics: persistent location tracking of ordinary drivers, little public input before installation, and retention policies that vary wildly from one jurisdiction to the next. The 'data center' angle is worth sitting with too — this isn't just a camera on a pole, it's a pipeline feeding a growing surveillance infrastructure that most residents never voted on and can't easily opt out of. Videos like this matter because they're often the first nudge that gets someone to actually look up, Google their town's name plus 'Flock,' and realize the cameras have already been there a while.

If this clip gets you asking where these things are near you, don't stop at curiosity — check our camera map to see what's been documented in your area, and head to our take-action page if you're ready to push back at a city council meeting or public records request.