Flock AI Strategy Call #2

Thanks to all who joined us!

If you missed Part 1 of our Flock Webinar series, here's the link.

Here's a breakdown of what we discussed:

Flock OS Surveillance Concerns

• Concerns about Flock OS, a global AI surveillance system owned by Palantir and private equity firms, which has been installed in Prescott despite claims of no facial recognition capabilities.  

• Gary shared his experience challenging Mark Fincham at a Founding Fathers meeting about the corporate structure and potential conflicts of interest. 

• Leigh emphasized the need to address both local and state-level legislation regarding surveillance technology, noting that neighboring cities like Sedona and Flagstaff have successfully opposed Flock implementations.  

• We encouraged participation in Business Reform's office hours: LINK

Arizona Flock Legislation Concerns

• Gary discussed two key pieces of legislation in Arizona: SB1111 and SB1138, and expressed concerns about SB1138 as it would prevent the public from contesting any aspect of Flock technology. He also shared his experience with accessing public records related to Flock cameras, highlighting difficulties in obtaining information and the lack of consent for his image to be used in AI training and partnerships.  

• Leigh emphasized the need to define what constitutes law enforcement in relation to Flock technology and mentioned ongoing work to address these issues.

Flock Safety Surveillance Concerns

• Concerns about Flock Safety's plans to install 86,000 cameras across the United States, highlighting issues of privacy, surveillance, and predictive analytics.  

• Impact on civil liberties, comparing it to experiences with TSA and police recordings.  

• Predictive analytics for surveillance and the potential for differential pricing based on surveillance data.

Facial Recognition

• Inaccurate identification and mass stops of people based on appearance. 

• Dan explained that neural networks used in surveillance are difficult to explain and can perform poorly in real-world conditions due to factors like lighting and camera angles, making them unreliable for broad surveillance purposes.

AI Surveillance Skepticism in Prescott

• Dan expressed skepticism about the City of Prescott's AI surveillance capabilities, explaining that computer vision systems require substantial retraining on local data and statistical validation, which the city likely hasn't done. He noted that the city's claims of complete control over the system's functionality raise significant concerns, as AI systems often rely on statistical methods that can be unpredictable.  

• Leigh raised questions about the city's ability to audit the data and control the system, highlighting inconsistencies in how different areas within Prescott handle surveillance technology.

•  Roman also touched on the potential misuse of AI discussions (we need better, more accurate AI) to justify increased surveillance or the adoption of new technologies like 6G.

Government Surveillance and Cybersecurity Concerns

• Dan explained that city government doesn't need to pay for additional security services unless absolutely necessary. Dan expressed skepticism about government cybersecurity standards, citing the 2014 Office of Personnel Management hack as an example of government data insecurity, and suggested that holding AI developers accountable to existing industry standards would be more effective than increasing surveillance.  

• We also touched on the Doge hacking incident, with Gary noting that Palantir had stepped in to provide information to various government agencies after Elon Musk's departure.

Data Privacy and De-Anonymization Concerns

• De-anonymization: Dan explained how easily personal information can be retrieved even from seemingly anonymized data. We explored how companies like Palantir and Flock might use government databases, with Dan noting that de-anonymization techniques are sophisticated enough to identify individuals through various means including gait analysis and mouse movement patterns.

Flock System Data Privacy Concerns

•  Dan explained how algorithms could be easily manipulated to bias enforcement, and expressed skepticism about the 30-day data retention claim, suggesting it could be used to retain and repurpose data.  

• Leigh raised questions about cross-state child abduction cases and the ability to modify sharing permissions, which Dan confirmed could be easily implemented but was currently restricted by law.

Arizona Surveillance Bills Update

• Jen of Jen's Two Cents presented updates on four important Arizona bills related to surveillance and photo radar. She explained that SB1138 would codify license plate readers into law without a data retention policy, while SB1111, which Jay Kaufman opposes, has no pending hearings.

• Two photo radar-related bills were discussed: HCR2004, which would allow voters to decide on statewide camera implementation, and SCR1004, which is in jeopardy after initially passing 6-4 in committee. Stay tuned and subscribe to Jen's Substack for updates on an explosive story regarding radar enforcement!  

Flock Data Sharing Concerns

• Concerns about Flock's data sharing practices, highlighted by a recent incident where Flock denied sharing data with anyone else, only to later admit it had been shared with the Sedona Police Department. This was a deciding factor in Sedona AZ cancelling their contract with Flock. 

• Leigh noted that the City of Prescott had not held a public hearing on the Flock cameras installation, which was viewed as a significant oversight.

• Gary shared details about a recent case involving a confrontation at a Shell station, where drunk firefighter Parra harassed a construction worker, and the subsequent involvement of Flock safety cameras in the incident. There is currently a $2.5 million lawsuit pending based on this incident.

Funding

•  Kyle the Secular Heretic on Substack asked about Flock funding, and how we need to follow the money.  Gary has the info on this - we will link to the updated info from Gary once we receive it.

Additional Resources:

Thank you all for your participation.  We look forward to seeing you next time, and chiselling our way to freedom with each action we take.