// THE VERGE — MOBILE & WEB
Americans are cheering for vigilantes who take down Flock cameras
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The surveillance cameras have become another flashpoint of growing bipartisan anger against tech industry excess.
The surveillance cameras have become another flashpoint of growing bipartisan anger against tech industry excess.
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Americans have declared war on Flock cameras. They’ve protested them, damaged them, and destroyed them. This is only the beginning.
The spontaneous and decentralized nature of the vigilante protests is also what makes them difficult to suppress. There isn’t a uniform method of disruption; people have done everything from unplugging, smashing, stealing, and spray-painting the surveillance devices to taking less destructive actions like physically blocking the cameras for hours. Some of the culprits have been caught, but that clearly hasn’t dissuaded others from taking matters into their own hands.
“Nonviolent direct action is a recognized and established tactic, and it’s unsurprising that we are seeing some people are resorting to that.”
Support for those taking drastic measures to get rid of the cameras has also become commonplace online. Last week, a police sheriff in Lumpkin County, Georgia, took to Facebook to announce a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of whoever destroyed a Flock Safety camera installed near a local park. “I hope you’re happy with this. It was to keep our kids safe,” Sheriff Stacy Jarrard said in a video, admonishing the unknown perpetrators while unintentionally confirming what many people already knew: Police are using the cameras to do a lot more than simply give out speeding tickets.
The response was not what he was expecting. Jarrard’s post has since received more than 30,000 comments, the vast majority opposing the cameras and many mocking the police and even praising the vandals. “Looks like a Constitutional wind blew it over,” taunted one commenter. “Looks like somebody fixed it for you guys,” wrote another. Others congratulated the culprits, saying those taking direct action to remove the cameras in towns and cities across the US are “doing the lord’s work.” In response to the backlash, Jarrard changed his tone, posting a new video that admitted the need for privacy measures, but stopped short of promising the cameras would be taken down. “We need more safeguards in motion,” Jarrard said. “I’m going to listen to you.”