I think he’s saying that places like SF and NY have been very soft on crime in the last decade. Things like SF not penalizing theft under $1000, or not investigating car break-ins. The natural reaction to soft on crime policies is a backlash in the opposite direction.

At least that’s how I understood it, maybe that’s not actually what he meant.

These people are not arguing in good faith, Flock and ALPR companies know they are extremely unpopular and are pushing PR really hard right now to try to fix their reputation.

Anyone with half a brain can understand that there’s a difference between an individual citizen with a single camera on their own property and a government global surveillance panopticon.

> Your camera helps you.

Extremely self-centered take.

Public surveillance is a common good that can be used as a public service, for better or worse.

Your sousveillance camera helps you: fair enough. But does my neighbor's camera help me? No.

Some of my neighbors have Ring cameras affixed to their doors, and I don't mind, because that's Ring and they're ubiquitous. I know exactly the extent of privacy with Amazon Ring or Google Nest.

My next-door neighbor has a cheap-ass Chinese WiFi camera pointed right at my (her) porches. I have no idea who makes it, who controls it, where the data goes, how long it's retained, who can see it, or anything. I am therefore forced to assume that anything I do at my front door is sent directly to the CCP or the CCCP or FSB. That, to me, is far less desirable than the NSA/CIA/TLA knowing what I do at my front door.

I'm going to say it again: I don't mind Flock or Axon watching me anywhere I go. I don't mind Amazon Ring or Google Nest/Home or the home security services that watch every public move. I walk around outdoors and it's obvious I'm being watched. Just... please, I beg you: keep it within the Five Eyes!

I realize I'm an ordinary guy and nobody's going to get rich, or sink aircraft carriers, based on my actions or words. But it's the principle of the thing, and the idea that thousands of aggregated ordinary guys adds up to good foreign intelligence. I want the USA to be gleaning this from the bad guys, not the other way around. For Pete's sake!

What I do mind is sousveillance, and lazy community members who basically leak a bunch of shit to foreign intelligence, as well as private industry. I do not want Mossad, FSB, or CCP watching what we do. I think most Americans would agree with me on that point. Yet we protest Flock instead. It's silly, guys.