Poison the data

Our Take

The creator behind Digital ID, Mass Surveillance and Digital Currency has built a sprawling catalog of videos on surveillance creep, and this one tackles a provocative idea: what happens when ordinary people try to confuse or corrupt the data that systems like Flock Safety's ALPR network depend on. It's a framing worth sitting with, even if we don't endorse every tactic floated in these discussions. The core problem isn't really about tricking cameras — it's that these networks exist at all, hoovering up plate reads on every driver regardless of suspicion, with little public oversight over who gets access to that data or how long it's kept.

We'd rather channel that same energy toward documented, lawful pressure: finding out where these cameras actually are, asking your city council hard questions about vendor contracts and retention policies, and pushing back through public records requests. Data poisoning schemes make for interesting YouTube thumbnails, but they don't address the policy vacuum that let thousands of ALPR units get installed on American streets with almost no democratic debate.

If you want to see how dense this surveillance net has gotten in your own neighborhood, check our camera map, and if you're ready to do something concrete about it, our take-action page has the tools to start pushing back through the front door — city meetings, open records, and organizing — not just the side door.