1 month ago
Who would you complaint arsenic nan world’s astir unlikeable tech tycoon? Elon Musk is evidently a awesome contender. The digital warlord Palmer Luckey is besides up there.
While there’s a batch of competition, Garret Langley besides deserves a shoutout. The CEO of nan tech institution Flock whitethorn not beryllium a family name, but his arguable surveillance exertion is quickly worming its measurement into regular life. If you unrecorded successful nan US, there’s astir apt a Flock merchandise connected a road aliases parking batch adjacent you. The company, which mostly sells its products to rule enforcement, makes automated licence sheet readers (ALPRs) which seizure licence sheet information and thief way wherever a conveyance has been. (If you want to cheque if your licence sheet has been nan taxable of a Flock hunt you tin do truthful astatine haveibeenflocked.com)
Capturing driver information doesn’t sound unspeakable connected nan surface. But what makes Flock alarming is nan standard of its surveillance web – location are more than 80,000 Flock cameras crossed nan US – and nan easiness pinch which information tin beryllium accessed. An ACLU investigation past twelvemonth recovered that Flock’s default agreement pinch constabulary departments gave nan institution nan correct to stock people’s licence sheet information pinch national and section agencies for “investigative purposes”. Various constabulary departments person reportedly shared driver-surveillance information pinch ICE arsenic portion of Donald Trump’s deportation push. (Flock claims it “does not activity pinch ICE”, though its website says that national agencies it partners pinch “can found 1:1 sharing relationships” pinch different rule enforcement agencies.)
Some constabulary officers besides look to beryllium utilizing Flock information to stalk their exes, partners and imaginable emotion interests. The Institute for Justice, a nationalist liking rule firm, precocious conducted an study of media reports and recovered astatine slightest 14 cases crossed nan US wherever cops are alleged to person accessed ALPR information to “to support tabs connected their romanticist interests, including existent partners, exes, and moreover strangers who unwittingly caught their oculus successful public”.
While astir each nan officers progressive were criminally charged and mislaid their jobs, it’s highly apt that location are acold much than 14 examples of this benignant of behaviour. According to nan Institute for Justice, only a fewer of nan analyzed cases were discovered done soul constabulary investigations; 1 officer’s alleged misconduct only surfaced aft a unfortunate searched their licence sheet connected HaveIbeenflocked.com. And I’m judge you tin ideate conscionable really galore different victims mightiness person been excessively acrophobic to study a constabulary serviceman to authorities.
One could reason that each systems person nan imaginable for maltreatment and it is unfair to blasted Flock for a fewer constabulary officers behaving badly. The institution has said it supports “democratically authorized governing bodies” determining really its exertion is used. But arsenic Michael Soyfer, an Institute for Justice lawyer who is representing residents successful lawsuits challenging their cities’ ALPR surveillance network, has noted: “The basal problem pinch these systems is that they spot backstage accusation astir people’s movements complete clip successful nan hands of each officer.” There is immense imaginable for abuse.
Flock has arguably besides made it acold excessively easy for officers to pat into a powerful database without warrants. A 2025 Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) analysis recovered that immoderate constabulary departments person been utilizing nan Flock web to surveil activistic groups and analyse protests. EFF and different civilian liberties groups person based on a hunt warrant should beryllium required for specified searches; pinch Flock, however, constabulary only request to participate immoderate matter into a “reason” section successful nan system.
Similarly, 404 Media revealed past twelvemonth that a sheriff’s agency successful Texas searched ALPR information to way down a female suspected of self-managing an abortion. The serviceman searched 6,809 different camera networks, including successful states wherever abortion entree is protected by law. The hunt grounds conscionable listed nan reason as: “had an abortion, hunt for female”.
This twelvemonth Flock announced updates to incorporated safeguards that limit national entree and restrict immoderate information sharing. Nevertheless, dozens of towns person ditched nan institution because of concerns astir really broadly its exertion tin beryllium used.
Pushback isn’t going to extremity Flock’s lofty ambitions, however. Langley, Flock’s CEO, has painted himself arsenic immoderate benignant of existent life Batman and has said that he thinks his surveillance tech will help eradicate almost each crime successful nan US successful little than 10 years. And aft putting licence sheet readers connected roads crossed nan US, Flock is now expanding its drone program. “I deliberation we tin person a crime-free metropolis and civilian liberties,” Langley told Forbes, optimistically. “We tin have it all.” I don’t cognize astir that. If surveillance drones being weaponized by an progressively authoritarian authorities successful cahoots pinch morally bankrupt tech tycoons is what “having it all” looks like, I deliberation I’ll pass.
Some municipality birds are much acrophobic of women than men
In a caller study looking astatine European Great Tits and 36 different vertebrate species, men could get astir a metre person to birds than women. Scientists have nary thought why.
A Trump migration judge thinks immoderate women are conscionable a ‘warm, bedewed hole’
Melissa L Isaak is simply a impermanent migration judge who was precocious appointed by nan justness department. She’s besides a “men’s rights” family rule lawyer pinch immoderate very questionable views. During an question and reply pinch nan pickup creator Anthony Dream Johnson successful 2021, for example, Isaak claimed that location are 2 types of women. “There are good, solid, valuable women who are awesome assets to men, if you’re a bully woman,” Isaak said. “And past there’s a warm, bedewed hole.”
UN warns women successful nationalist life look progressively blase online violence
A caller UN Women study has found that nan net continues to beryllium a hotbed of misogyny and artificial intelligence has made online maltreatment overmuch easier. Of much than 600 women successful nationalist life, 6% said they had been victims of deepfakes; astir a 3rd said they had received unsolicited intersexual advances online.
Iran warfare has already costs US $25bn, says Pentagon
If that’s nan official figure, past you cognize that nan existent costs is apt measurement more.
Press state astatine lowest level successful 25 years
A caller Reporters Without Borders (RSF) study has warned that increasing authoritarianism and a difficult business exemplary intends publicity is “being asphyxiated”. The study besides noted that, since October 2023, much than 220 journalists person been killed successful Gaza. Even pinch a expected “ceasefire”, journalists still aren’t allowed to participate and study from Gaza independently.
Abortion bans apt associated pinch increases successful pregnancy-associated deaths during
There’s a possible 9.2% increase successful pregnancy-associated deaths during aliases wrong 1 twelvemonth of gestation successful states pinch abortion bans, according to a study published successful nan American Journal of Public Health. While this investigation comes pinch a caveat that information limitations make definitive conclusions difficult, various other studies person akin findings, and show that states pinch a much restrictive abortion argumentation ambiance person higher full maternal mortality.
The week successful pawtriarchy
San Francisco’s newest sea-lebrity is simply a monolithic oversea lion nicknamed Chonkers who has been lounging astir connected Pier 39. While Chonkers loves a snack, he’s not really unusually large; he’s a Steller oversea lion, which intends he is built otherwise from nan smaller California oversea lions that are much emblematic astir nan area. It’s not clear why Chonkers, who apt came from up north, decided to task each nan measurement to San Francisco. Perhaps he wants to bootstrap his startup. Or possibly he’s conscionable sportfishing for compliments.
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Arwa Mahdawi is simply a Guardian columnist
