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The Flock affair, or how we have been watched by surveillance cameras all along
🇸🇮 Slovenia /Technology

The Flock affair, or how we have been watched by surveillance cameras all along

From Delo · () Slovenian

Translated from Slovenian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • A performance by activist Anthony Ralphs at a San Diego city council meeting drew attention to Flock Safety’s network of automated license-plate readers.
  • Ralphs used a Darth Vader impersonation to warn that camera networks could become tools for authoritarian actors.
  • The episode forms part of wider controversies over the privately operated surveillance company.

A Darth Vader performance at a San Diego city council meeting has become a vivid protest against Flock Safety’s surveillance network. The character praised the council’s decision to extend its contract with the company, then called for its technology to be used to monitor an imagined resistance.

The speaker was not the Star Wars villain, but local DJ and activist Anthony Ralphs. His performance sought to show how networks of cameras could become useful tools for authoritarian actors. Video of the appearance quickly spread online.

Flock’s systems are not conventional surveillance cameras. They are automated readers that scan vehicle license plates. The controversies surrounding the North American company have prompted concerns about the dangers of privately operated surveillance networks.

The Emperor supports Flock. We must continue using its technologies to monitor the resistance scum at playgrounds, swimming pools and gyms!

— Anthony Ralphs, performing as Darth VaderRalphs used the fictional character to criticize the potential authoritarian use of Flock’s technology.
About this summary

Originally published by Delo in Slovenian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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