(01:23) The bipartisan surveillance camera rebellion – LISTEN
(18:09) Congressional candidate Dave Bushaw on policy – LISTEN
(34:46) Congressional candidate Dave Bushaw on politics – LISTEN
(52:02) Bizarre arguments against urban ag, with Kathy Byrnes – LISTEN

It’s happening more and more: Americans across the political spectrum are finding common ground on data centers, water quality, ultra-processed foods, eminent domain, and even cancer.

And  FLOCK surveillance cameras.

Earlier this year, not many people had heard of FLOCK Safety and its vast network of surveillance cameras totaling around 100,000 coast-to-coast. I first learned of FLOCK when its technology was featured in an Amazon “Ring” commercial during the Super Bowl.

 

That warm and fuzzy find-the-lost-pet ad backfired on FLOCK — and things have only gotten worse for the company.

Nearly 80% of Americans polled express concern about government surveillance, data privacy, and the handling of personal information by public agencies.

The Iowa ACLU has called the cameras a “Big Brother-style government surveillance” and a violation of privacy.

Congressman Tim Burchett (R-TN) is pushing legislation that would ban the federal purchasing of Flock cameras, saying, “law enforcement intelligence agents, they gotta have tools to address these threats, but taking our constitutional rights is not on the table.”

Seems some folks aren’t sitting around waiting for legislative action.

There are over 300 Flock cameras in the Des Moines metro, and some have met an untimely demise. In Pleasant Hill, one was sawed down. Three have been vandalized in Johnston, four in Ankeny.

License plate readers have been shot at in Tennessee, hit with a truck in California, sawed down in Texas, and splashed with paint in New York.

The most creative (and legal) anti-Flock action I’ve come across involves Carl Gunn of St. Petersburg, Florida. Gunn calls himself the Flock Blocker. He sits or stands next to a post fitted with a camera, holding a 10-foot-long pole that blocks the camera. Gunn is a registered Republican.

Ah, Florida man. The good kind.

Tyler Knight has been sharing videos of Gunn’s protest. Knight says authorities and the corporation behind the cameras are “just building a database on a bunch of innocent civilians. I don’t want my data harvested and sold off to insurance companies, foreign countries and let them do whatever they want to do with it.”

So, what about the corporate connection? Flock Safety is valued at nearly $8.5 billion. Venture capital to kick it off came from billionaires Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. They’re also generous Donald Trump supporters, both having donated $2.5 million to Trump’s “Right for America” super PAC leading up to the 2024 election, and millions more after the election.

This week, Trump said this about Flock surveillance cameras: “You know, you have pros and cons, right? It’s being studied right now. We’ll have an answer soon, as to our views on it, in the coming weeks.”

We’ll see whether the President’s loyalty to his billionaire donors trumps any concern he has about how this issue might impact the November election.

As more and more stories come to light, it’s not much of a stretch to predict that public opposition to Flock will continue to grow.

Stories about the dozens of law enforcement officers who have misused Flock data for personal reasons, including to track down and harass ex-girlfriends.

Stories about how Flock is being used by ICE to advance the administration’s immigration and deportation crackdown.

Stories like the one out of Texas, where law enforcement used Flock to track down a woman they claimed illegally had an abortion.

We’ll see where this goes. If I were a betting man, I’d wager that opposition to surveillance cameras will have a meaningful impact on the upcoming election. And depending on what view Trump shares “in the coming weeks,” it probably won’t be favorable for Republican candidates.

Thanks for reading, listening, and taking action. And if you’re a central Iowa resident, remember to support the local businesses and nonprofits that help underwrite this platform.

Ed Fallon

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