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Comment by bko | Hacker News Reader

They take pictures of cars in certain intersections and register their license plates and keep them between 0 and 30 days typically (usually 7). It can be queried and logged. So if someone gets kidnapped and they're looking for someone its easy to track them.

There have been 1m “cases supported” and helping to locate approximately 10k missing persons. If you don't believe that look at a few real cases. Every example of a bad case is basically cops keeping tabs on ex-girlfiends or wives. Yes, that's bad but I prefer to save kids from kidnapping.

Saying its "anti-American" isn't an argument. I think it's very pro-American in that it protects law abiding Americans from criminals.

https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/how-effective-is-flock

https://www.wbrc.com/2026/09/04/moody-police-woman-charged-w...

https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/galt-flock-kidnappin...

https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/mitchell-weber-arrest-...

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Agreed. Which is why I’m in favor of recording all conversations within earshot of any public location. Those can be tagged for keywords related to child endangerment. After all, who would argue against protecting kids?

In fact, we should take the pictures from public school districts and feed them into this system. Facial recognition immediately available on any kid that happens to walk on any public street. Why would anyone want to opt out of such a system?

(/s if it isn’t obvious)

Or how about we have a license plate camera in some intersections, that records license plates that can be queried by police officer to try to find perpetrators of crime. Pretty much the same thing right?

200k kids are kidnapped each year (overwhelmingly by family) but hey they stopped a small percentage so we should all give up our rights to the government. You’re a fool.

I agree, we should let "a small percentage" of 200k kidnapped kids go missing because a police officer might track his ex-wife during a 7 day window.

You certainly do. If you're not willing to wear a camera and microphone 24/7 for the good of the police, then you're helping the kidnappers hide their crimes and legitimize their privacy.

This is why the human life arithmetic has to be dropped if you want to genuinely steelman your point, it's a tortured statistic that we can use to justify any number of outlawed practices. If you can defend your point sincerely without the use of hysteric examples, then please walk us through the logic and authority that convinces you Flock is good. If you can't, then I'm going to have to agree with the people dogpiling on you, this is a ridiculous opinion.

1. find two things that are different in nearly every possible way

2. find one superficial similarity between them (this proves they are actually identical)

3. "why are you against one but not the other"

It's sarcasm. It only offends you because we're reusing your justification for a more extreme encroachment of privacy.

Can we drop the human life arithmetic and discuss the pros/cons like normal people? Do you understand why your stance is being repeatedly mocked in the same exact way?

"It's a camera bro, taking the same pictures of your daughter that anyone can take with their phone. If you don't want there to be a log of the route she walks home, take it up with the police."

Why hold back? Clearly we should install live-feed cameras in every home so we can solve most domestic crimes; surely a little police abuse shouldn't prevent such a profound reduction of crime. It's not like any of these people have rights or anything like that. /s

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