The pitch for Flock is always the same: “If you’ve done nothing wrong, you’ve got nothing to hide.” Then a court says the footage is public record, and suddenly cities start unplugging the cameras.
In this episode, Zach Varnell and Elizabeth Melton walk through the public records rulings that are forcing Flock programs into crisis mode, the predictable scramble to replace Flock with “Flock, but spelled differently,” and the deeper problem no vendor can fix: mass tracking doesn’t become acceptable just because it’s “secured.”
They also unpack major security research and reporting showing just how exposed this surveillance infrastructure can be, and why the Institute for Justice lawsuit may be the best shot at hitting the root issue: does the government have the right to build a searchable map of everyone’s movements?
Zach Varnell
Zach Varnell is a cybersecurity expert and advocate for privacy and individual liberty. He is a founding member of Banish Big Brother, a nonprofit dedicated to combating invasive surveillance. He also runs Asteros, a security firm that helps software teams and compliance-driven organizations understand and reduce their real-world risk. His insights have been featured in publications like Infosecurity Magazine, Threatpost, ZDNET, and the Washington Examiner.