'DE-FLOCKING': The viral Halloween plan targeting security cameras

Our Take

Fox News' 'Big Weekend Show' co-hosts spent airtime on a viral trend they're calling 'de-flocking' — people reportedly planning to mess with Flock Safety license plate readers on Halloween, when a mask and a costume make it easy to blend in. We'll say the obvious thing: we don't endorse vandalism or breaking the law, and we're not going to pretend we know how widespread this 'movement' actually is beyond a few viral posts. But the fact that mainstream cable news is now covering camera sabotage as a cultural moment tells you something bigger is going on.

People are frustrated, and for good reason. Flock's network has quietly grown into one of the largest privately-run surveillance systems in the country, feeding plate scans, location data, and vehicle histories into a searchable database that thousands of police departments — and sometimes agencies with murky data-sharing agreements — can access without a warrant. When the only public response options left feel like 'organize a Halloween prank' or 'do nothing,' that's a sign the normal channels of oversight, transparency, and consent have failed. Local governments approved these cameras with little debate and even less public input, and now segments like this treat the backlash as a spooky curiosity instead of asking why residents feel unheard in the first place.

If you want a legal, effective way to push back, start by finding out how many of these cameras are actually watching your commute — check our camera map — then take it to your city council instead of your garage toolbox. Our take-action page has scripts, records requests, and organizing tips that don't require a costume.