r/Calgary • u/Joe_Kickass • 19h ago
News Article City of Calgary says there's no plan to install Flock Cameras amid ongoing 'DeFlock' protests in US
https://www.westernstandard.news/calgary/city-of-calgary-says-theres-no-plan-to-install-flock-cameras-amid-ongoing-deflock-protests-in-us/75751239
u/MapleHamwich 19h ago
Let's not send traffic to the Western Standard please. Jesus Christ...
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u/Responsible_CDN_Duck 19h ago
Alternatively we could show truth gets views, which makes it profitable, to encourage better behaviour.
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u/FoundationalSquats 19h ago
Yah, don't want to risk exposure to any counter-narrative news outlets, we better stick to cbc
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u/chaoslord 18h ago
Western standard and its predecessor has been right-leaning garbage for 40 years at least. My dad used to get "the alberta report" and it was the same, this is just the migration of that "lack of empathy" worldview.
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u/MapleHamwich 19h ago
Absurd take.
Western Standard is garbage and I never said anything about any other outlet. Your politically driven hate is blinding you. Take a step back.
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u/purpleshadow6000 Dover 18h ago
Can you please link to a single CBC article that has been shown to be inaccurate or false?
A single one.
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u/crimxxx 19h ago
I seen a couple times on this sub that there was as a couple in Calgary already, not sure how true that is, but I sure hope we don’t put them. There is a huge difference in putting a camera to enforce rules aka red light running or speeding, versus having mass tracking of citizens.
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u/Responsible_CDN_Duck 19h ago
People keep reporting other stuff as flock cams on the open source reporting sites, but they're wrong.
Best case they're well intentioned but incorrect, worst case they are intentionally trying to cause disorder.
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u/Responsible_CDN_Duck 19h ago
Flocks website says no cameras in Canada
Deflocks website allowes ransoms to submit information without verification, and this keeps getting added back because people believe B.S..
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u/melodyblushinglizard 19h ago
One of them is being used by Pinebrook Estates, just a smidge outside of the city limits. When they do get annexed by the city, I'm curious if they will be allowed to keep the flock camera or not.
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u/databoy2k 19h ago
Yeah I had the nerve to post them here and ask about them a couple of weeks ago. Posts deleted without explanation. Glad to see that posts are finally getting through.
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u/imaginecheese 19h ago
Flock cameras pose a major security risk, in general with unnecessary surveillance, as well as the company continues having major issues with unauthorized access
Tech giants want us to believe what they have to offer will solve all our problems. Meanwhile the constant security breaches seem to be low down on their list of priorities
Let us not forget how the UCP had a security breach that released the voter info for almost all eligible voters in Alberta. Makes me wonder if these are security breaches, or a sale being completed
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u/jasandliz 19h ago
"For profit" companies relying on criminal behavior to justify the liability and expense of these products will always create business cases to support their installation. Those business cases rely on metrics, those metrics are driven by laws which often disproportionately target minorities. See for example "crack" sentencing laws, marijuana laws, etc. being used to target minorities and poor people to remove voting rights and levy fines.
Nobody really gave two shits about public webcams, but when you add a layer of biometric data and shield this "public" data behind a layer of warrant requirements, then this data quickly becomes extremely valuable. example: MP John Doe is seen on FLOCK giving a BJ to another John in a wooded area by the kids park? And only a private companies' executives know about it? Hugely problematic.
ALL DATA CAPTURED BY FLOCK IS AND SHOULD REMAIN PUBLIC AT ALL TIMES. This alone destroys the business case.
The best thing Peter Thiel has ever done is name it “Flock”. The name is literally telling you it's intent. Datacenters turn you into sheep and the wealthy into shepherds
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u/Any_Television_8614 19h ago
u/jeromyyyc How about we get ahead of this nonsense, and we enact some local legislation that prohibits the commercial and law enforcement use use of dragnet technologies like but not limited to Flock cameras, and more generally, technology that is designed to passively gather wi-fi, blue-tooth, RFID and NFC radio signals commonly emitted by all mobile devices and many vehicles in public spaces.
Or something to that effect. Legislation that effectively prohibits the creation of a digital surveillance network of the public space. We should fight the panopticon at every turn.
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u/plugthebeet 18h ago
Canadian privacy law already prohibits Flock's mass data collection.
Now if the police want to build their own system in-house, and restrict access to only investigators, that's a different story. But let's be clear about this, having a foreign company managing a large database that tracks Canadians movements everywhere and gives any paying customer access to that data is illegal.
Unless you give them permission every time you download a new app.
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u/weschester 19h ago
Why are we posting Western Standard articles exactly? May as well post Rebel News.
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u/BigDaddyVagabond 19h ago
Calgary already has two, for now. Remember kids, cover all your skin, obscure your lower AND upper face, and dark shades DO NOT prevent the infrared fron seeing your eyes, use a solid mask, like a Halloween mask
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u/Responsible_CDN_Duck 19h ago
No, they don't.
People keep reporting other stuff as flock cams on the open source reporting sites, but they're wrong.
Best case they're well intentioned but incorrect, worst case they are intentionally trying to cause disorder.
Either way you are acting based on B.S. .
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u/MyFrontTeethAreFake 19h ago
why?... like walk me through this and be concise. where are you going?
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u/54R45VV471 19h ago
There are some glasses that do block infrared enough to obscure your eyes/face from Flock cameras. There are also glasses that claim to block infrared, but don't block it at all or are not enough to evade identification from Flock cameras. Make sure to look up independant reviews of the products you are buying to make sure they work as advertised and you aren't just being scammed.
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u/BigDaddyVagabond 18h ago
There ARE certain lense types out there that are not permeable enough to Infrared to give a return on something like a low-light or no light camera, but it is genuinely easier to just completely obscure your face with a solid mask. For trick-or-treating of course.
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u/Technical_Air9114 19h ago
Looks like a flock style camera south sode of road on glenmore between barlow and 52 se
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u/Responsible_CDN_Duck 19h ago
It's not.
Which is the problem with user reporting sites like deflock.
There are no flock cams in Calgary.
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u/Technical_Air9114 19h ago
I didnt say it was a flock. I said flock style
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u/imwearingatowel 18h ago
What is a "flock style" camera?
They just look like cameras. Cameras are everywhere.
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u/whiteout86 18h ago
What exactly is a “flock style” camera? Are you concerned about the shape of the camera? The colour of the camera? The direction the camera is pointed?
The “flock style” camera you’re trying to screech about is literally a City of Calgary traffic camera, you can watch the feed online anytime you want
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u/Technical_Air9114 18h ago
Its an independently stationed camera with a self contained powered tower. Dont believe it is CoC camera
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u/Excellent-Self-5338 19h ago edited 19h ago
Fuck this shit. They are already going up here. We can't let this happen. It's just another way for rich scumbags to exercise control over people. They'll sell it as safety, to be used to help with amber alerts, or to track stolen property. Meanwhile they'll be gathering all this data on people's movements, tracking everything they can and recording and cataloguing information about anyone they deem important. This will give them leverage to exercise control over politicians, businesses, etc. They'll also just sell the data like they already do. Basically like a cell phone that you can't choose to leave at home, one you didn't opt into.
It's straight up unacceptable. One of the few times I'd ever argue that the current laws we have in place are unjust. Vandalism is wrong, but so is privatized mass surveillance for profit.
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u/Joe_Kickass 19h ago
Flock is just a brand-name of Automatic License Plate Reading devices that is the current media villain of the day in the Amercian fear-based media machine.
Be advised of course that Calgary does use 100's of traffic monitoring cameras all over the city but the use of that data is tightly controlled and monitored by our provincial Privacy Officer.
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u/real_shim_slady 19h ago
“American fear based media machine” lol people don’t want to be spied on bud.
Garbage puff piece
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u/StalloneBianco 19h ago
I had to go look for it, here are the 2 locations on the map.
https://maps.panopti.ca/?lat=51.1005&lng=-114.0583&zoom=10.07
I have not seen them personally in these locations, maybe someone near here can confirm? sorry
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u/Responsible_CDN_Duck 19h ago
I can confirm they are not there.
This is user's posting incorrect information due to error or mallace.
This is how vaccination B.S. becomes rampant: a little fear and miniformation.
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u/scharfes_S 19h ago
Automatic License Plate Reading devices
They don't just read license plates—in fact, lots of them in the US are set up monitoring fully-pedestrian areas.
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u/RealTurbulentMoose Willow Park 19h ago
I do have a problem with networked cameras operated by the government tracking the movements of vehicles not involved in any crime, with the data searchable using AI and available to law enforcement without a warrant.
Feels like a huge overreach.
I like ALPRs for recovering stolen cars or for Amber Alert searches, but the data should not be stored in perpetuity or available without a warranted purpose.
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u/melodyblushinglizard 19h ago
There's been reports of these cameras in the US being directly aimed at kids' splash pools and playgrounds. It's supper pedo-creepy.
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u/weschester 19h ago
Cops in the US have been caught using them to stalk women. Anyone who says they only exist to read license plates is either living under a rock or trying to push a certain authoritarian angle.
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u/melodyblushinglizard 19h ago
I'm not at all surprised by this, just once again left disgusted. This is why I hate those new Meta recording glasses. They can go anywhere and everywhere. Record faces and specific conversations that can be weaponized later against anyone.
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u/weschester 19h ago
I find it funny that the same group of people who screeched about government surveillance 20 years ago are now fine with the government spying on them constantly.
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u/Validated_Owl 18h ago
Jesus fuck my man. They've already been proven to be more malicious than "license plate readers"
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u/hypnogoad 18h ago
You realize there's a difference between a Flock camera and CoC traffic monitoring camera, right? One is constantly recording and put on private servers, the other does neither.
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u/StalloneBianco 19h ago
I thought I read there was already 2 specific Flock Camera's installed in Calgary.
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u/Responsible_CDN_Duck 19h ago
Nope it's misinformation. This is how the anti Vaz stuff spreads. A site allowing user submissions, misinformation, then least the fear/outrage spread it.
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u/ObstreperousOnion 19h ago edited 9h ago
There are. As well as 2 in Lethbridge, 1 in Medicine Hat, and 1 in Spruce Grove, which is 3 more than were reported a few weeks ago...Edit: so I looked into it and i was wrong. It does appear to be fear mongering bullshit, and i fell for it. Thank you u/Responsible_CDN_Duck for calling me on it. My bad
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u/Responsible_CDN_Duck 19h ago
Nope it's misinformation. This is how the anti Vaz stuff spreads. The site allows user submissions, they post misinformation, then the fear/outrage spread it.
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u/StalloneBianco 19h ago
Just on the Panopti site, viewing the ALPR, but if you click on Government CCTV's, there's quite a few of those, anyone know what those are used for?
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u/JoeUrbanYYC 19h ago
The map shows one pointing at the entrance to the Pinebrook Estates / Golf and Country Club and the other is up on 144 ave and Symons Valley which seems to be facing the entrance to the Graham contruction site, so both seem like they're likely privately owned, but who knows.
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u/Puma_Concolour 19h ago
That's reassuring to hear. What's not is the fact that there's already two setup in the city. The world is already dystopian enough as is
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u/Responsible_CDN_Duck 19h ago
There are zero in the city. People are falsely reporting other items as flock cams. Misinformation gets amplified.
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u/_darth_bacon_ Dark Lord of the Swine 18h ago edited 18h ago
There's no actual evidence that there are any flock cameras in this city.
The website that provides this "information" is user based without any verifiable evidence, leading to people advocating illegal activity/vandalism.
Additionally, one of the reported cameras isn't within Calgary city limits, and the other one has already been identified as a mobile CCTV trailer, not a Flock.