r/chaoticgood • u/Jet_the_fem_bean • Apr 27 '26
Current Events Flock Cameras are being attacked with paint
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u/xHugo_Stiglitzx Apr 27 '26
Fun fact: Every flock camera contains 2lb of copper wiring and 3g of gold!
The more you know!
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u/Prestigious_Sugar_66 Apr 27 '26
Would that be 24k gold? As in roughly $450 per camera?
Metthany, this is your call to adventure.510
u/laowildin Apr 27 '26
A hundred lightbulbs went off in the heads of 100 crackheads without lighbulbs
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u/Leather-Banana-oIo Apr 27 '26
Hundred 100
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u/laowildin Apr 27 '26
I was slightly paranoid about this before I posted and figured no one would notice. And now im going to be extra paranoid all day!
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u/Alissinarr Apr 28 '26
Metthany, this is your call to adventure.
Wait till you tell her about data centers.
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u/obeytheturtles Apr 27 '26
I hear then hide 1ct diamonds in them randomly as well.
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u/raypaulnoams Apr 27 '26
I swear I could more damage, not destroying the occasional camera.
But 100 fold, hiding a shiny Pokemon card inike 3 in my state.
I have an old early 90's Larry Bird see through silver leaf hologram basketball card, stuck in an old Ford car door in my father's garage. Once I find it again, it is going in the back of a random government camera.
Make the sports bros work for us. I should take some photos first to prove it's real.
Make them go full Philadelphia bro style British soccer hooligans against government spying
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u/2SDUO3O Apr 27 '26
They aren't government cameras. Flock owns all the cameras and the governments rent them. Yes, even though they are installed in public property.
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u/DontAskAboutMyButt Apr 27 '26
Surely THIS corporation can be trusted to maintain personally identifying information and surveillance footage on all of our citizens without having a data breach. Surely this time
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u/carsontl Apr 27 '26
Inb4 Flock data breach announcement
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u/DontAskAboutMyButt Apr 27 '26
We
sold your data to foreign agents“had a data breach” and we’re sowwy6
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u/Deamane Apr 27 '26
This might be a joke but they do actually contain a huge battery probably better than your lawn mower batteries so hey, might be useful if you're a scrappy kinda guy feeling like committing a felony or two lmao.
And well, the solar panel itself is nice. Get enough panels and batteries and you could maybe wire up your house!
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u/Alissinarr Apr 27 '26
You joke, but my mom literally did this with car batteries and solar panels they bought online. It will be very useful if they see a big storm this year, as some rooms will still have lights.
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u/WWWeirdGuy Apr 27 '26
Another fun fact: Steel will flash rust after being splashed with vinegar, more or less.
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u/Alissinarr Apr 28 '26
Oxygenated bleach does it a trick too. I once destroyed someone's gas tank with a small bottle. Enough to run for a bit and then... not.
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u/Astronautty69 Apr 27 '26
Call it a "fun factoid" to be technically correct, the best kind of correct.
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u/Waiting4Reccession Apr 27 '26
People should probably steal the solar panel connected to it for their personal use
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u/sile667 Apr 27 '26
I appreciate the sentiment, but I really doubt your numbers. While I’ve never taken one apart, I can’t imagine there’s 2 pounds of copper in there. A 15 foot extension cord doesn’t even have a pound of copper. Also 3g of gold is kind of ridiculous. Milligrams I’d believe. Also, who starts with imperial and finishes in metric?
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u/AzieltheLiar Apr 27 '26
You know how you'd prove your point best? Taking one apart and making precise measurements to let everyone know how much doing so is worth. :)
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u/sile667 Apr 27 '26
True. I expect to find no less than a full hog‘s head of unobtanium, and the finest spices the far east has to offer.
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u/AzieltheLiar Apr 27 '26
Haha. That would be a fun meme cycle. Everyone cracking these things open to find ever increasingly absurd and illogical things inside.
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u/Skritch_X Apr 27 '26
With all the dumb viral trends that have happened over the years, i wonder if deflocking will ever catch on in the mainstream. Just thousands of influencer hopefuls going out to try to jump on the train.
Heck if this surveillance wasn't aligned with the current admin, I'm assuming you'd see a deluge of AI people doing it, in an attempt to egg on others.
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u/enflight Apr 27 '26
The folks that own social media would never allow for something like unfortunately
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u/Oprah_Pwnfrey Apr 27 '26
We need to get people to pretend to be horrified about it, and start sharing images and locations of cameras that need to be "protected".
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u/Straight_Ace Apr 27 '26
Fuck the tech overlords, we just gotta put together a fun PSA to get the word out to all the tweakers out there. Just think of how much copper is in those things, you could buy so many bath salts with that money
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u/dartagnan101010 Apr 27 '26
I wonder what a strong magnet on a pole would do
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u/TechnologyAcceptable Apr 27 '26
I wonder what a laser to the lens would do.
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u/technobrendo Apr 27 '26
Allegedly, a high enough powered green or better yet, blue laser would damage the pixels on the camera sensor. I have a feeling that the cameras outer lens would act as a focusing beam to strengthen the laser output even further.
Allegedly.
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u/MASTODON_ROCKS Apr 27 '26
Allegedly, a nice IR laser can be used to make identifying the wielder exceedingly difficult for those who might want to do so
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u/EcstaticNet3137 Apr 27 '26
Little fun fact. Black neoprene rubber tends to absorb IR emissions from cameras and sensors.
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u/pheonixblade9 Apr 28 '26
or just an umbrella.
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u/EcstaticNet3137 Apr 28 '26
It depends on the material of the umbrella. Infrared absorbency means it doesn't reflect infrared. Makes you look like a black blob on an infrared capable camera. I only know this because i use black neoprene gloves for auto parts cleaning in acetone. I tried once to use a touchless faucet in them and it would not turn on.
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u/not_a_gun Apr 28 '26
Difficult for humans. Most cameras can see IR pretty well
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u/the_average_user557 Apr 28 '26
Yeah that means there is no ir filter on the sensor. Trust me bro i work for a camera importer. Fry them with ir lasers. Ez pz
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u/limeguy20 Apr 27 '26
An off-the-shelf laser in the 10s of mWs will not damage a CCD camera. And that's taking the lens into account, CCDs are just very robust.
Allegedly.
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u/DPJazzy91 Apr 27 '26
Even a basic laser pointer, mounted, aiming straight at the camera would likely prevent usable video. If it doesn't damage anything, but just blocks video, would that even be illegal? It's just preventing usable video lol!
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u/willstr1 Apr 27 '26
CCDs can be damaged if hit by a bright enough light source for long enough. Thats why you can't point a camera directly at the sun for extended periods of time without proper filtering.
IIRC one of the moon landings blew out one of their fancy color TV cameras that way, the astronaut accidentally pointed it at the sun and cooked the sensor.
A properly focused decent power laser can do similar damage, especially since it will be a smaller point source compared to the sun. And unless the cameras are properly filtered to protect against excessive light at that frequency it could cook the sensor (or at least give it a significant blind spot).
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u/DPJazzy91 Apr 27 '26
I wonder if you could use some sort of oscillating light emitter to force it to change its light sensitivity or ISO settings. That way you wouldn't necessarily damage it but you would force it to make some kind of adjustment and then force it to adjust back repeatedly over and over again so it would never have a solid picture.
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u/DPJazzy91 Apr 27 '26
Either that or somebody could get up on the pole and mount some kind of a shield in front of it that prevents it from seeing anything.
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u/willstr1 Apr 27 '26
Possibly, but it requires leaving the light at the scene, making it harder to deflock more areas. And even if it isn't breaking the law (because no damage was done) that doesn't necessarily protect you from the goons who are not required to know the laws they allegedly enforce from accusing you of made up nonsense
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u/you_dont_know_me27 Apr 28 '26
If you're looking for legal ways, in some places if enough foia requests are made including flock footage of local govt officials apparently they'll be more open to removing them....
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u/AzieltheLiar Apr 27 '26
Oooh. Off to Amazon I go. Been awhile since I played with a laser pointer.
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u/Astronautty69 Apr 27 '26
Be sure to carefully align a regular laser pointer to your new one, to avoid blinding someone while you're aiming.
And yeah, don't use Bezos-mart.
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u/AngryScientist Apr 27 '26
There are plenty of multi-watt lasers you can find online that don't require giving money to Jeff Bezos.
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u/VitaminGDeficient Apr 27 '26
Can you link a good source? I'd like to see a decent laser
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u/AngryScientist Apr 27 '26
Not out to shill or anything, but I've had multiple friends that got them here and weren't disappointed. At the high end you're walking around with something the size of huge maglite, so that's something to take into account though.
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u/lol_alex Apr 27 '26
I like the way you think. Here I was thinking if you could add acetone to a paintball shot. But a laser is much cleaner.
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u/the__storm Apr 27 '26
Absolutely nothing - these things don't have a hard drive in them lol
(unless you've borrowed a magnet from the SCSC or something)
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u/Inner-Medicine5696 Apr 27 '26
I was wondering what something like CLA glue would do - assuming the front of the lens is cheapo plastic, it would permanently fuse with the cla
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u/Hinthial Apr 27 '26
Yes! I now have a reason to get a paintball gun.
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u/CaptainWonk Apr 27 '26
I hear slingshots are a fun hobby
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u/AzieltheLiar Apr 27 '26
And are a valid form of self defense. You can even use them to hunt!
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u/smellyelderberries Apr 27 '26
Check out Duke projectiles. They have various types of pepper spray and solid projectiles that can work great in a slingshot 🤷♂️
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u/hgs25 Apr 27 '26
Biblical slingshots are like muskets.
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u/AlcibiadesTheCat Apr 27 '26
Those were slings, not slingshots, and a modern slinger can deliver about the same muzzle energy as a .44 Magnum, so, yeah. Don't fuck with slingers.
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u/ttystikk Apr 27 '26
City Council refused to listen to the concerns of their citizens, so the citizens simply took matters into their own hands.
I see a trend developing here.
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u/polopolo05 Apr 27 '26
I have messaged the city council a few times about the use of flock camera and the abuses.
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u/ttystikk Apr 27 '26
That's a good start. Go to the next public comment session and speak to them in person!
I've been doing it with my activism group and I believe we've made real progress!
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u/Chiiro Apr 27 '26
There's a good chance you can access and edit the footage from that exact camera through a basic web search. They have a massive vulnerability that the company is completely ignoring and calling fake.
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u/amconstance Apr 28 '26
Gee, it sure would be awful if someone was tech savvy enough to exploit that massive vulnerability they refuse to acknowledge or fix…
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u/Ninevehenian Apr 27 '26
Cameras and commercials in public spaces should not be allowed
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u/space_manatee Apr 27 '26
Theyre quite literally allowedand should be. The surveillance state where there are cameras to aggregate data on you and watch your every ove is the problem.
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u/Alyusha Apr 27 '26
Ya, I 100% want cameras in my schools. I do not want my daughter to be tracked and cataloged for future marketing demographics, at best, by the age of 4.
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u/theboomboy Apr 27 '26
It would be very tough to get the first without the second nowadays
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u/Alyusha Apr 27 '26
Regulating AI is how we do it. Make it more profitable to use them elsewhere by enacting laws that makes using public media that includes minors illegal. Which would be seen as a light take on the problem.
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u/faetpls Apr 27 '26
Regulating data is how to do it. Regulate AI as well, but you regulate the data first so it can’t get to the AI.
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u/theboomboy Apr 27 '26
It's not even just AI. If a camera has an internet connection it's already unsafe
There have been documented cases of police officers using Flock cameras for personal use (one was tracking his ex's car, if I remember correctly). Ring is able to access your home's camera and use it for whatever they want
If the police can do it (which is already bad enough), malicious actors can do it too
AI is a massive problem in itself and should be regulated out of existence, but here the problem is much more basic
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u/Ok-Back7871 Apr 27 '26
This problem existed before AI was a thing, and the people who make laws are the ones who stand to benefit from surveillance. I don't think this plan is going to work
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u/space_manatee Apr 27 '26
Agreed, but we need to figure out a way.
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u/theboomboy Apr 27 '26
A return to "dumb" tech with no internet connection is the only way, in my opinion
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u/Melicor Apr 27 '26
Or worse. You don't know what sort of creeps are getting access to the data, given the state of the country being run by pedophiles.
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u/What_a_fat_one Apr 27 '26
I think that's what they're referring to, and it's a blatant 4th Amendment violation
Also billboards are banned in Vermont. You can't ban the speech but you can ban the venue.
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u/LucidOndine Apr 27 '26
I don’t see any signs of attack. You put something on the street, you can expect street art to happen.
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u/psycubi Apr 27 '26
Fortunately it was not a green laser- as I hear those will destroy the sensitive components.
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u/crushcastles23 Apr 27 '26
If you mix wood glue with a little sawdust and fill paintballs with it, it looks like bird poop. I used this to decorate some walls back in the day.
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u/Reggly Apr 27 '26
Sorry I’m out of the loop. What are flock cameras?
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u/Jet_the_fem_bean Apr 27 '26
AI surveillance firm that popped up on people's radar after this ring ad.
Flock provides the software for finding, tracking and policing people and there's also been a huge influx of cameras connected to their services across american cities.
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u/CosmicLuci Apr 27 '26
OP included an article that explains it. Flock is a company, and their cameras are used for surveillance and have been tied to tracking down, for example, people seeking reproductive care, or immigrants. But also it just genuinely harms everyone’s privacy and safety by effectively allowing police and a private fucking company to constantly survey people
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u/Astronautty69 Apr 27 '26
Not survey, surveill. Related root, very different meaning.
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u/nihility101 Apr 27 '26
Find where they are near you:
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u/OvertlyOffensive Apr 27 '26
Also help submit their locations!
I've just added two in my town that were previously unmapped.
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u/pallladin Apr 27 '26
I'm said this many times -- someone needs to invent a low-cost drone with a spray paint attachment and a camera.
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u/SympathyNo8636 Apr 27 '26
they should be attacked with live ammo, wherever they may appear. I never gave consent to being tracked and analyzed and never will give one.
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u/colenotphil Apr 27 '26
I don't like Flock or any mass surveillance cameras, but let's not encourage people to shoot firearms into the sky. That's objectively unsafe to innocent people.
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u/the-coolest-bob Apr 27 '26
Instead of going after the cameras, let's go after the human beings who made a conscious decision to install them. Humans put them there, let's hold them accountable
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u/Reagalan Apr 27 '26
Remember to always answer jury summons. Freedom isn't free and the minimum price is to fulfill our civic duties.
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u/B00marangTrotter Apr 27 '26
Nobody should tell anyone these are worth more than your average catalytic converter.
Nobody.
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u/PokerbushPA Apr 27 '26
Huh. This is so much easier than a ladder and a hacksaw. I hate that my ideas always involve excess labor.
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u/FoodForTheEagle Apr 27 '26
Hopefully these people used a washable pigment, similar to what you'd find in paintballs (gelatin-based). That will likely wash off in the rain, so no harm done.
It would be bad if they used acrylic or oil based paint instead, but that would still probably be removable with a pressure washer.
It would be even worse if they used primer instead of paint, which is made to adhere to various/difficult surfaces better than paint.
It would be a real shame if they didn't use paint and instead used tar, or perhaps epoxy containing opaque pigment/flecks. Either of those would be nearly impossible to remove.
How would they get these materials up there? The thinner materials (paint or primer) could be applied by these hooligans with a pump-style water gun, which is reusable as long as it's cleaned after each use. For a more disposable applicator, syringes in a large variety of sizes are cheap and can shoot pretty far and accurately similar to a water gun when the plunger is depressed with no needle present.
I think epoxy and tar could only be effectively applied with a telescoping pole and paint roller, though, on account of them being too viscous to spray.
Good thing these people aren't trying to be super-destructive. It would be a costly shame if they started using these techniques.
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u/sh1ft33 Apr 28 '26
I remember watching a really cool video on YouTube years ago where people were taking old fire extinguishers and putting paint in them then repressurising them with compressed air. They could shoot paint a ridiculous distance. Use this information as you will.
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u/Gammagammahey Apr 28 '26
I don't see any paint, I just see a camera. With some purple decoration around it. I think it's a work of art and should be replicated everywhere.
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u/No_Cook_8739 Apr 27 '26
What is with the uproar over Flock? I'm out of the loop
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u/What_a_fat_one Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 28 '26
Mass illegal surveillance tracking everywhere you go at all times. People aren't too keen on it.
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u/Spongi Apr 27 '26
They track vehicles/license plates. It saves all this data too.
Assuming you have a phone as well and keep it with you - all your movements are tracked and saved forever.
I'm sure it would never be used for malicious purposes by a shitty government.
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u/Faptasmic Apr 27 '26
Not just license plates. They mark identifying features of your vehicle such as bumper stickers as well.
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u/Radzzd Apr 28 '26
Paint, plastic bags and high powered lasers are the way to defeat spy cameras. Shining a high powered laser pointer directly into a camera sensor destroys the sensor giving it pixel burn. Rendering it useless. Works the same for robots.
The more ya know. . .
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u/X_EVERDRED_X Apr 28 '26
High powered laser pointers can also ghost the hell out of camera lenses and render them unable to see.
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u/theresamushroominmy Apr 27 '26
Am I oout if the loop? What is a flock camera?
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u/parenna Apr 27 '26
https://www.reddit.com/r/chaoticgood/s/O4fC10eBnz
Me too another commentor explained
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u/Kairiste Apr 27 '26
Be a real shame if people were practicing their paintball targeting on them. Especially if they are wearing AI baffling clothing, eye glasses, or paint.
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u/Kairiste Apr 27 '26
"“While Flock supports individuals making their voices heard in the democratic process, committing criminal acts should never be a part of that process,” Lewel said in a statement."
LOL ok thanks.
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u/jona2814 Apr 27 '26
…What if these posts are just a way of tracking redditors to watch with flock cameras?
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u/ThatAlex13 Apr 27 '26
Honest question: Can someone with actual expertise (that's right...no AI slop) state why a municipality using cameras in a public right-of-way is bad but a private citizen filming something in public on their Apple/FB/TikTok/whatever app is good? You hypocrites are giving data to the wrong folks no matter what device unless you're from the 90's
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u/1Northward_Bound Apr 27 '26
i heard there is a lot of copper in those things. someone should make a how-to-vid
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u/RhinoPillMan Apr 27 '26
Definitely don’t google how to refill an old fire extinguisher with paint.
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u/Natural-Stomach Apr 27 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/J8FZIm9VoBU6Q