A man dressed as Darth Vader appeared to poke fun at San Diego officials for using Flock Safety automated license plate readers at a city council meeting this week, a stunt that comes as the company faces growing backlash linked to spying concerns.
The man, whose real identity remains unknown, masqueraded on Thursday as the Star Wars villain at a San Diego public safety committee meeting.
“The emperor is a fan of Flock,” the man said, though he proceeded to portray the surveillance hardware in an ominous light.
“We must continue utilizing Flock technologies so that we can follow and surveil the rebel scum as they move from playground to playground, from playground to pool, from pool to gymnasium,” he continued.
The man also said the cameras could be employed for nefarious purposes such as tracking children and stalking a former romantic partner. (A Louisiana sheriff’s deputy was fired recently for using Flock’s system to track his ex-fiancee’s car more than ۳,۰۰۰ times, Guardian reporting partner WWL Louisiana reported).
Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based company, touts its technology as an aid to law enforcement, highlighting achievements on its website such as tracking missing people and recovering stolen vehicles.
San Diego city council members voted in December to continue using Flock’s camera system.
Recent blunders, however, have cast scrutiny on the technology.
In San Diego, a man spent a month behind bars after a Flock license plate reader falsely linked him to an attempted violent carjacking, according to the Times of San Diego.
As of August ۲۰۲۶, about ۱۰۰ municipalities have deactivated, canceled or rejected contracts with Flock, according to the grassroots group DeFlock.
Some critics have taken matters into their own hands, undergoing vigilante-esque missions to dismantle or destroy the cameras. An Ohio man was arrested for allegedly damaging a Flock camera, but a grand jury recently declined to indict him on felony vandalism charges.
In August, Flock announced new policies aimed at curbing misuse of its system, including a mandate for law enforcement agencies to adopt an audit assistance feature in its system by the end of the year, although some legal experts described the accountability measures as insufficient.
