this post was submitted on 27 Apr 2026
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Hello, the title sums it up pretty much but here's some details. I live in the US and I have been working for a pretty big company for a few years. I noticed recently that they have put up Flock cameras at all entrances and I really object to it. I would consider a new job but three main factors are really preventing me from doing that. First, I like many of my coworkers and it makes my day easier. Second, I get paid well enough. Third, the job is nearby and its an easy commute. Essentially all the things I want in a job.

What I have done so far: I have contacted my union rep. The response from the union was essentially indifference to the idea. They claim Flock simply sends the data to our normal security team. They did mention that it was discussed recently otherwise. Last note, I work for a place where vandalism would not be possible due to the nature of the facility.

I'm not really sure what else to do but I didn't want to do nothing. What would you do?

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[–] dreamy@quokk.au 1 points 2 days ago

I don't think it's applicable to your situation, and the text is surely fictional, but this is an interesting read nonetheless.

[–] mrmaplebar@fedia.io 55 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Talk to your coworkers and freak them out about it to get more people on your side.

[–] turdburglar@piefed.social 41 points 5 days ago (1 children)

yeah, send around those benn jordan videos, that should do the trick.

also it sounds like your union sucks. you should consider running for a position,

[–] ramenshaman@lemmy.world 14 points 5 days ago

Benn Jordan & Louis Rossmann.

[–] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 53 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Burn down the building, hit the gym, divorce your wife, and start a new life in Mexico.

I do not have an actual idea.

Burn down the building

Only if they touch my precious red Swingline.

[–] west2seven@lemmy.dbzer0.com 20 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I guess ill leave that as a last resort.

[–] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 5 days ago (1 children)
[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

Blood brothers keep it real to the end.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I don't look great in yellow filter

[–] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 5 days ago

You look great in everything, don't be so down on yourself.

[–] deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz 49 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Comically large hat.

I suspect that spending a bit more effort with your union would be the obvious route. E.g. "why cameras, why now, why flock?" Their indifference is a little... off.

[–] OwOarchist@pawb.social 20 points 5 days ago

A lot of the big unions have been captured by the oligarchs getting their people elected to union leadership positions.

[–] sic_semper_tyrannis@lemmy.today 38 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Start putting up printouts all around the building with information on Flock and links (QR codes probably) to videos showing all the issues they propose. Hopefully enough people will start to understand what they are and get creeped out by them and raise a storm.

Here's a few:

Business Reform: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xujArBaEcbg

Benn Jordan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB0gr7Fh6lY

Naomi Brockwell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOa9tjoxsQ8

Louis Rossmann: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK6WyS2JipQ

Then have links to hopeful stuff like deFlock and be sure to publish the cameras to the DeFlock map/OSM.

[–] west2seven@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 5 days ago (2 children)

This sounds like a good idea but i have never seen anyone do anything like that at my workplace... i fear it might be stigmatizing

[–] CandleTiger@programming.dev 22 points 5 days ago

It might be, yeah.

Your employer is doing something shitty and your choices are to point out that your employer is doing something shitty, which may have consequences, or to not point out that your employer is doing something shitty.

[–] sic_semper_tyrannis@lemmy.today 21 points 5 days ago

Let's not let surveillance become more normalized than it is. This is a great way to raise awareness and it's not you're fault the cameras are there, someone else probably has the same concerns as you.

[–] uenticx@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

Silk-screen all known cartel member faces on your shirts.

[–] XLE@piefed.social 25 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

Ethical reasons aside, tampering with the devices is entirely out of the question. First off, it's criminal, and second, you'll be on the shortest of short lists of people who might have done it. (This is more for casual readers of the thread and not OP.)

I agree with the comments that recommend talking more to your union about this. If everything's going to be handled by security anyway, then why even involve the third party?

[–] west2seven@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Agreed on those points. I asked the same exact question to my union rep becuase we already have a very tight security infrastructure due to the nature of our work. I dont mind our business having standard security becuase we are not in the business of data sales. I did not yet get a reply that really answered to that very obvious point.

[–] XLE@piefed.social 24 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

For a security standpoint, it sounds like your company is exposing everyone to a huge data breach if this gets leaked. And that's assuming Flock has your best interests at heart to begin with. Imagine what an attacker could learn by identifying the nanes, faces, and checkin times of everybody that worked at your company. Nothing good, that's for sure.

[–] Zedstrian@sopuli.xyz 2 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

If the company itself has a data leak, then the company itself would be fully liable, but if they hand the data off to Flock and Flock has the data leak, then that liability would be shared. I'm entirely anti-Flock, but shared liability for data breaches and—more importantly—potentially lower per-camera monitoring costs (versus hiring full-time security personnel), might be reasons it was employed in this situation.

[–] betterdeadthanreddit@lemmy.world 21 points 5 days ago (2 children)

I'd suggest something involving lasers except you said no vandalism so that's out. I don't think the EFF would be able to help directly but you could reach out to info@eff.org and see if they can put you in touch with an attorney who might be able to do more. A search for "[your location] bar association" is another possibility. Most places I've been will have somebody willing to talk for free (at least briefly) in order to see if there's a case worth pursuing. If there is a case, don't count on them taking it pro bono. Never know unless you ask though.

My best guess is that there's nothing to be done about it except the rejected options of vandalism or quitting. There's a slim (as in "invisible when turned sideways") chance that some local law might give you more to work with but that's for other nerds to figure out.

[–] west2seven@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 5 days ago

Thanks I will look into this a bit more.

[–] Dionysus@leminal.space 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Do tell about the lasers....

I'm imagining IR would be best, 20 to 40 watts focused. You'll still stand out to any CCTV nearby but that camera will have a wicked blind spot.

For most solid state diodes I think they max out at ~3 to 5 watts, still enough to damage with a good focus from 10 meters or so but they're visible and you look like someone who forgot to put a regulator on their lightsaber...

If I were going to do it (and I'm not, feds!), I'd buy a few of the cameras they use and see how far away I can be while still reliably destroying the device. Might mean going to some twitchy guy in a tent but ripping one open could give me a part number to find additional test hardware.

The rest would be determined by the terrain around the target cameras and what's beyond them. Wouldn't want to miss the camera and blind a pilot or somebody in an upper-floor apartment. Tripod for stability, binoculars to see if the dot is where I want it to be. More distance might just mean more time to cause enough damage but I also wouldn't want to sit very long with an "I'm right here" line for everyone to follow. High-vis vest and hardhat will only hide you for so long.

IR should reduce the risk of being seen but then it's harder to check and adjust the aim point. Could use a less powerful visible pointer fixed in position so it's parallel to the IR beam and only use visible while adjusting aim (placing the visible dot next to the intended target point). Converging at a known distance is also possible but may be tricky.

Fun to think about, at least.

[–] Nomecks@lemmy.ca 11 points 5 days ago

Put a string of "bright" infrared LEDs around your head and blind out the camera without anyone seeing!

[–] T00l_shed@lemmy.world 11 points 5 days ago
[–] sturmblast@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Stand on your principals and quit. Its just a job, youll be proud of yourself.

Plan b, handout flyers to coworkers to get allies, protest

[–] Novocirab@feddit.org 9 points 5 days ago

If all else fails: If the union is good enough otherwise, maybe become more involved there and try to increase awareness for surveillance dangers over time? (This will likely not solve the concrete problem you're facing right now, of course.)

[–] OwOarchist@pawb.social 6 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Silenced .22LR rifle from far enough away that the camera can't recognize you.

(Not really, though. Unfortunately, since you're already on record complaining about them, you'd be suspect #1.)

[–] west2seven@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 5 days ago

Regardless of the record of complaint, the potential risk of getting caught is going to cause me to lose my job anyway (at the least). So i figured i should try a legitamate route and that maybe it could work and there wouldnt be any risk that way.

[–] ramenshaman@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

Unfortunately, since you’re already on record complaining about them, you’d be suspect #1

I'll do it, then.

Find the link to the deflock link to log into your work's flock cameras. Make a qr code. Print them out, put them around the office. Get fired. Feel good about it tho

[–] Auster@thebrainbin.org 3 points 5 days ago

Consult a lawyer maybe? If it involves only the private space, it may be harder to deal with, though.

[–] rosco385@lemmy.wtf 5 points 5 days ago

Becoming a die-hard fan of Insane Clown Posse should solve your problem.

https://xcancel.com/tahkion/status/1013304616958607360

[–] aramis87@fedia.io 4 points 5 days ago (2 children)

You said it's an easy commute. Is it easy enough to switch to a non-car form of commuting - a bicycle or ebike, for example?

[–] turdburglar@piefed.social 14 points 5 days ago

yeah, well flock also tracks bikes and faces of pedestrians.

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[–] mech@feddit.org 1 points 4 days ago

Looks like the only realistic way to do something about it (in the US) would be to become an active Union member and lobby for their removal, which might be a long process.

[–] MerryJaneDoe@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

Custom t-shirts for all the crew!

Get on Amazon (or Etsy, etc) and order shirts with clever Flock-related quotes.

"My employer gives a Flock about me!"

"This Flocking job....sometimes, man, sometimes."

"I wanted a raise but I got Flocked instead."

Pass 'em out for free, ask folx to wear them on Fridays.

[–] frongt@lemmy.zip 3 points 5 days ago

Unless monitoring is covered by your CBA, then there's not much you can do except voice your opposition and argue against it during the next round of negotiation.

[–] blackwall@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I’m outside the US and have only vaguely been following the Flock camera epidemic. What’s the threat here exactly? That Flock will have record of where you work? Or that they’ll have photos of your face or vehicle? Are you on LinkedIn? Props to you if you aren’t, but if you are, anyone can already see where you work, what you look like, and make an educated guess as to your start and finish times. For what it’s worth I wouldn’t like my workplace putting them up either.

[–] KickMeElmo@sopuli.xyz 9 points 5 days ago (1 children)

To be clear, they record everything. Your gait, to be matched against footage where your face is not visible in the future. Tattoos and scars. What you wear. Which direction you come from. Who you talk to. Which days you drink what brand of coffee. Literally every bit of data they can siphon off they will. And then they sell that data. Not just to building security, but to local police, to non-local police, to government agencies, to private companies, to whoever wants it. And you'd think it would require a warrant, but no. Everywhere differs, but most jurisdictions just require "an active case", if even that.

[–] blackwall@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

Woah, that’s way more invasive than I thought. Thanks for the info.

[–] ramenshaman@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

Destroy them.

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