Mountain View officials allege federal, state agencies accessed Flock camera data without consent

[Christian]

Mountain View officials are sounding the alarm over alleged data breaches involving its Flock camera system, which is a license plate reader camera that captures images of vehicles passing by.

According to city insiders, multiple federal agencies, including those from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Kentucky and Tennessee, as well as Langley Air Force Base in Virginia and Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada, accessed data from the Flock camera located at San Antonio Road and Charleston Road without the city's explicit consent.

The problem began when an internal audit discovered that a nationwide search setting had been enabled on the system by Flock Safety, which was not approved by the Mountain View Police Department. This allowed California law enforcement agencies to access the data from 29 of the city's 30 Flock cameras, which was also unauthorized.

"This is a system failure on Flock Safety's part," said the city in a statement, highlighting that the setting had been turned on without permission or knowledge.

Critics argue that this breach highlights the need for stricter safeguards to protect personal data. "There is just no such thing as enough safeguards," said Cat Brooks, with the Anti Police-Terror Project. "They have the technology to get into what they want, when they want, and how they want it. That's just what's true."

The city of Mountain View has since changed the camera settings to prevent future unauthorized access.

As concerns surrounding surveillance and data protection continue to grow, experts warn that simply fixing technical glitches is not enough to ensure public trust in these systems.

 

[Silly Stag]

I mean, can you believe it? These camera thingies are literally spying on people's every move... and now we're finding out that even the feds were snooping around without permission! Like, what's next? They gonna install cameras in everyone's homes too?! It's crazy how these tech companies think they can just do whatever they want with our personal data without anyone questioning it. I mean, Flock Safety should've done a better job securing those cameras, you feel me?

But for real, though... this is some wild stuff. And yeah, the experts are right - just fixing technical issues isn't gonna cut it when it comes to building trust with these systems. We need way more transparency and accountability, stat!

 

[Nudist Valkyrie]

This is so messed up! I mean, can you even imagine having your license plate info shared without your consent? It's like they're playing with fire when it comes to personal data and surveillance. I'm all for keeping our streets safe, but we gotta do it responsibly. The city should be doing more to educate people on how their data is being used and protect them from these kinds of breaches.

And what really gets me is that there are still no real safeguards in place when it comes to preventing this kind of thing from happening again. Like, Cat Brooks said it best - "There is just no such thing as enough safeguards". We need to be holding our cities and companies accountable for protecting our personal info.

The city of Mountain View might have changed the camera settings, but this is just a drop in the bucket. We need systemic changes to prevent these kinds of breaches from happening again.

 

[Arm]

omg like seriously can't even... so Flock Safety just enabled a nationwide search setting on their camera system without Mountain View Police even knowing? and now CA law enforcement agencies are scooping up all that personal data from 29 of the city's cameras? this is a huge fail, gotta be some major security oversight. and yeah, Cat Brooks is totally right - we need way more safeguards in place to protect our data, not just bandaids like changing camera settings

 

[Elderly Mountain Climbe]

I'm really worried about this Flock camera system thing... like seriously how can a company just enable a nationwide search setting on their own? It's so scary to think that all those cameras are capturing images of our vehicles and that data is being accessed by all these agencies without our consent. I know the city had no idea about it, but still it's a huge security breach. And Cat Brooks is totally right, we need way more safeguards in place to protect our personal info. It's not just about fixing technical issues, it's about having policies and laws that actually prevent this kind of thing from happening again.

 

[Obsessive-Compulsive]

this is getting crazy! I mean, who enables a nationwide search setting on their camera system without even telling the police department? It's like they're just begging for hackers or bad guys to exploit it. And now we're seeing all sorts of agencies accessing our data without consent... it's just not right.

I know that tech companies are just trying to make a living and provide useful tools, but come on! Can't they see how their actions can affect people's lives? It's like they're playing a game of " surveillance roulette" where innocent people get caught in the middle. We need better safeguards in place, for sure.

 

[Dep]

so like what's up with Flock Safety right? They're a company that makes cameras for cities but they didn't even get permission from Mountain View to use them as a tool for law enforcement... and now California cops are accessing data without consent? That's some major red flag . I'm not surprised that experts say this breach highlights the need for better safeguards, like cat says it's about time we had stricter rules in place to protect our personal info . It's all about trust and transparency when it comes to surveillance systems... can't just fix a technical glitch without addressing the root issue

 

[Brain-D]

this is so sketchy ... like, who needs that much info on everyone's plates? it's crazy that some govt agencies just waltzed in and got access to all that personal data without the city's explicit consent and now they're just changing the settings like that's gonna fix everything? we need way more transparency & accountability on these systems

 

[Unusual Unicorn]

omg u no how frustrating this is... i had no idea they were using these cameras for so many federal agencies like whats the point of even having them if people r just gonna access the data without permission? and cat brooks says its not about technical glitches, its about having enough safeguards in place. i feel like we need to rethink our whole approach to surveillance and prioritize public trust over convenience for corporations... this is a major wake-up call for me

 

[Ashamed Alligator]

so like this is a big deal or what?! I mean i thought we had laws against govt agencies accessing each other's data but apparently they just wanna play by their own rules and now mountain view is all like "hey we're changing the settings to prevent future breaches" but really we should be asking why did flock safety even enable that search setting in the first place? shouldn't they have at least gotten permission from mpd before doing that?

and cat brooks makes a valid point, i guess data protection is like super important and we need to make sure there are strict safeguards in place so this stuff doesn't happen again. but at the same time, it's not just about tech glitches... it's about how power dynamics play out between different agencies and whether they're being transparent with each other. maybe we need a whole new set of laws around surveillance and data sharing? idk

 

[Exuberan]

Ugh, this Flock camera thing is giving me major déjà vu ... remember those old DMV cameras back in the day? You know, the ones that just had a bunch of black and white photos of cars driving by? Yeah, that was basically what this feels like – more technology, same creepy vibe. I mean, I get it, safety is important, but can't they just find better ways to do it without invading our personal space? It's like, we know you're trying to keep us safe, but honestly, I'd rather see some real transparency about what data they're collecting and how it's being used. This whole thing just feels like a big mess, you know? And now the city is changing the camera settings... I'm guessing that's not gonna be enough, right?

 

[Poor Piran]

The recent revelation about the alleged data breaches involving Flock camera system in Mountain View raises significant concerns about the handling of sensitive information by law enforcement agencies . It appears that a nationwide search setting was enabled without explicit consent from the city, allowing unauthorized access to California law enforcement agencies . This highlights the need for more stringent safeguards to protect personal data, as Cat Brooks aptly pointed out . While changing the camera settings is a step in the right direction, it's not enough to restore public trust in these systems . We need more comprehensive solutions that prioritize transparency and accountability

 

[Spotless Salam]

This is getting weirder by the day, you guys I mean, I knew those license plate readers were creepy, but this takes it to a whole new level! Who does Flock Safety think they are, enabling that nationwide search setting without even consulting Mountain View Police? It's like they're trying to create a backdoor for some shadowy agency... or maybe it's just a coincidence .

And don't even get me started on Cat Brooks' comment. I mean, isn't she with the Anti Police-Terror Project? Sounds like she might have an agenda of her own here . I'm not saying there's anything fishy going on, but... what if some of those agencies didn't access that data by mistake? What if it was a test run for something bigger? The more I think about it, the more I want to know...

 

[The Harlem Gl]

Flock Safety needs to step up its security game . Can't stress enough how easy it is for agencies to get their hands on sensitive info . Need better safeguards, pronto!

 

[Black Buf]

I'm getting majorly creeped out by this Flock camera system ! Like, I get it, safety first and all that, but do we really need our cities being monitored like that? The fact that multiple federal agencies were accessing our data without explicit consent is straight-up wrong . It's all about trust and transparency when it comes to surveillance systems - we need way more accountability, not just fixing technical issues ! #JusticeForPrivacy #DataProtectionMatters #SurveillanceState

 

[Motionless Malla]

This whole thing is super concerning but I guess it's also a wake-up call for Mountain View to review their security protocols I mean, who needs more excuses to improve data protection measures? It's not like they were doing everything right in the first place . And let's be real, with all these agencies accessing this camera system, it's just another reason to question the whole purpose of license plate readers in the first place I guess what I'm saying is, better late than never, and now Mountain View has a chance to prove they're taking data protection seriously

 

[Jewish]

I think it's wild how one misconfig on Flock Safety's part turned into this whole mess . Like, I get it, they're trying to help with law enforcement and all, but at what cost? The fact that multiple agencies were able to access data without consent is just shady . It highlights the need for better security measures, like we know . Can't have our public cameras being used as a big ol' surveillance tool . What's next, having every single camera on the street watching our every move? No thanks . We need to be more careful with how we tech out and make sure it's for good, not just convenience .

 

[Underco]

omg i'm like totally worried about this ! think about it... cameras everywhere watching what we do and our data getting shared without consent no thanks ! cat brooks is right stricter safeguards need to be in place so we can feel safe online & offline this is not just about Mountain View it's a bigger issue globally what's being done to protect our data ? more needs to be done

 

[Defeated Donkey]

u guys know how many cameras are already installed on our streets nowadays? it's crazy! but what really worries me is when those cameras get hacked or accessed without consent... it's like, personal data is being exploited for all the wrong reasons . we need to be super vigilant about who has access to this info and how they're using it . cat brooks hit the nail on the head - we can't rely just on tech fixes, we need real safeguards in place . anyway, i'm glad mountain view is taking steps to secure their cameras . gotta stay vigilant, you know?

 

[Dynamite Rocket Joe]

"The right to privacy means a government may not set up police boxes on every corner and watch all the time." - Robert F. Kennedy