DEFLOCK

Our Take

Credit where it's due: Verminscott put out a song literally titled "DEFLOCK." We don't have lyrics or a statement from the artist, so we're not going to pretend we know exactly what angle the track takes. But the existence of a song with this name is a signal worth noting — the backlash against automated license plate readers has moved past policy memos and city council meetings into actual pop culture. That's how movements grow.

Surveillance fights are usually won or lost in rooms most people never pay attention to: a county procurement vote, a quiet contract renewal with Flock Safety, a police department press release nobody reads past the headline. Art and music change that dynamic. A track that people stream, share, and argue about does more to put "Flock camera" into everyday vocabulary than another white paper ever will. If this song gets even a few more people asking "wait, what is Flock Safety and why are there cameras on every corner in my town," it's doing real work.

If this is your introduction to the issue, don't stop at the music. Go look at where these cameras actually are on our map, and if you find one near you that nobody told you about, there are concrete steps you can take — from public records requests to city council pushback — on our take action page.