…in which I bring to you the latest news regarding America’s Most Hated Company.
Michael Carter, owner of Gun Commanders in Cleveland, Georgia, installed Flock cameras two years ago to combat burglars and help law enforcement nab illegal gun buyers.
He took down the cameras — which record license plate numbers and other data such as make, model and even bumper stickers to track vehicles — after his customers complained and posted criticisms on social media.
Their ire is but the latest manifestation of a nationwide privacy-rights backlash against Flock’s artificial intelligence-powered cameras discreetly installed on street corners, in parks, parking lots, neighborhoods or on drones buzzing overhead.
If you want to protect your premises, staff and stock by putting cameras inside your store, be my guest. But here’s where it gets sticky.
Let’s say that an ordinary citizen has, say, a website from which he has all sorts of Bad Things to say about government or universities and Commies (but I repeat myself). Let’s also say that he’s on record, by his own account, as being a proud gun owner and supporter of the Second Amendment. And now let’s assume that a political party comes to power, and this party is totally against the concept of an armed citizenry, and citizenry with a big angry mouth withal.
Can you see where having all sorts of information about this loudmouth shooter — his driving habits, his frequency of gun purchases and visits to the gun range, for example — may give said political party and its apparatchiks all they need to label him a “danger to society”, even though he quite clearly isn’t?
The problem with this fucking Flocking A.I. setup is that the data can be used for all sorts of un-Constitutional (and illegal in other ways) activities.
So well done, you, for getting rid of this excrescense in the public sphere.
Let’s hope that a whole lot of other people come to their senses, as you have done.