Man dressed as Darth Vader defends Flock cameras
The short version: A Darth Vader cosplayer's pro-Flock testimony at a San Diego council meeting, flagged by Off The Press, unintentionally shows how normalized mass surveillance pitches have become.
Our Take
Credit to Off The Press for catching this one: a man in a Darth Vader costume showed up to a San Diego Public Safety Committee meeting to make the case for Flock Safety's license plate readers, complete with a Star Wars-flavored bit. It's a strange, meme-able moment, but it's also a useful reminder of how these public comment sessions actually go — a handful of voices, sometimes theatrical, shaping the record on whether a city expands a network that logs every car that passes a camera, tracked by time, location, and plate.
The costume is the headline, but the substance underneath is what matters: local governments across the country are making these decisions in low-turnout meetings where Flock's sales pitch often goes unchallenged. Whether the messenger is dressed as a Sith Lord or a city planner, the pitch is the same — trust us, it's just for public safety — while the actual policy questions about data retention, sharing with other agencies, and audit access rarely get a real airing.
If you want to know whether your own city already has these cameras watching your street, check our map. And if San Diego or your local council has a public safety meeting on the calendar, showing up — costume optional — is still one of the most effective ways to push back. Our take-action page has the tools to help you do it.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Off The Press, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.