Zach and Elizabeth walk through a tour of a real-time crime center and what it actually revealed, then dig into the data behind the “these cameras keep us safe” pitch.
New FBI numbers show Flock’s home turf of Atlanta has one of the largest camera networks in the country and some of the worst clearance rates for violent crime, including a homicide closure rate that’s dropped since 2021.
They cover Flock’s $220 million deal with Axon (formerly Taser) and its ties to ICE, look at audit log transparency (or the lack of it), and draw an unexpected parallel to Margaret Thatcher’s fight with British coal miners.
Then it gets personal: a family held at gunpoint after a license plate reader misread their tag as stolen, eye-tracking cameras now common in commercial truck cabs, and a local news crew’s man-on-the-street reactions to Flock cameras around Atlanta’s Beltline.
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.