The new problem with flock cameras

Our Take

News 4 San Antonio (WOAI) is reporting on something we've been warning about for a while: these cameras aren't just a privacy problem when they work as intended — they're a security liability when they don't. Hackers reportedly yanked a Flock unit off its pole, got into its data, and handed what they found to reporters. That's not a hypothetical anymore. That's a proof of concept sitting in a news segment.

Think about what that means. These devices sit on public infrastructure, collect plate reads and location data on anyone who drives past, and feed it into a massive searchable network shared across agencies. If the hardware itself can be popped by someone with a ladder and some patience, the question isn't whether this data is safe — it's how many other units are just as exposed, and who else has already quietly done the same thing without going to the press.

Flock and local police departments love to talk about accountability and audit trails, but a hardware breach blows right past all of that. We'd encourage anyone who thinks this is just a one-off story to check our map and see how many of these cameras are watching their own neighborhood, and to visit our action page if they want to push back on this rollout before the next headline is about their own data.