Some VPN's are bad
The short version: A mass-surveillance-focused channel warns that not all VPNs protect your privacy — a reminder that trusting tech vendors with your data, including Flock Safety's ALPR network, requires real scrutiny.
Our Take
The channel Digital ID, Mass Surveillance and Digital Currency makes a point that applies well beyond VPNs: just because a product is marketed as a privacy tool doesn't mean it actually protects you. Some VPN providers log your traffic, sell data to third parties, or quietly cooperate with government requests — the opposite of what users assume they're paying for. It's a useful reminder that 'privacy-washing' is everywhere in tech marketing.
That same skepticism is exactly what we apply to Flock Safety and the broader ALPR industry. Flock sells its camera network to police departments and HOAs as a public-safety tool, but the underlying business model depends on harvesting location data from every vehicle that passes a lens — logged, stored, and shared across a nationwide network regardless of suspicion. Just like a bad VPN, the product claims to serve you while actually serving whoever's paying for access to your data.
If a video about VPN trustworthiness gets you thinking about who's really holding your data and why, turn that same scrutiny toward the cameras on your own streets. Check our map to see if Flock or similar ALPR systems are already logging your neighborhood, and visit our take-action page for ways to push back.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Digital ID, Mass Surveillance and Digital Currency, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.