Benn Jordan, Musician, Scientist, and YouTuber on Flock Safety Cameras, Privacy & Surveillance
The short version: Musician-turned-researcher Benn Jordan talks with Cybercrime Magazine about how Flock Safety's ALPR network is spreading faster than public oversight can keep up.
Our Take
It says something about where we are in 2024 that one of the sharpest public explainers on automated license plate readers is coming from a musician and independent researcher rather than a sitting lawmaker. Benn Jordan's conversation with Cybercrime Magazine is worth your time precisely because he comes at Flock Safety from outside the usual privacy-advocate lane, which means the pushback he describes isn't ideological boilerplate — it's someone looking at the technology and the contracts and asking the obvious questions nobody in city hall seems to be asking.
That's the real story here: Flock cameras are landing in neighborhoods through quiet procurement decisions, not public debate, and by the time residents notice the mast arm on the corner, the data-sharing agreements are already signed. Jordan's outsider framing is a useful reminder that you don't need a law degree or a cybersecurity background to see the problem — you just need to look at how much of your daily movement is being logged by a private company and handed to police without a warrant.
We credit Jordan and Cybercrime Magazine for putting a plain-language spotlight on a system that thrives on being ignored. If you want to see whether this is already happening on your own street, check our camera map, and if you're ready to push back at a city council meeting, our take-action guide walks you through it.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Cybercrime Magazine, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.