![]() ![]() Machine-learning software categorizes each vehicle based on two dozen attributes, including its color, make and model what state its plates came from and whether it had bumper stickers or a roof rack.Įach “vehicle fingerprint” is pinpointed on a map and tracked by how often it had been spotted in the past month. ![]() Piped into a neighborhood’s private Flock database, the photos are made available for the homeowners to search, filter or peruse. This is a private company selling products to private individuals with unproven claims about increased safety - and it all ties into surveillance systems operated by law enforcement. Flock Safety, the industry leader, says its systems have been installed in 1,400 cities across 40 states and now capture data from more than a billion cars and trucks every month. Once found mostly in gated communities, the systems have - with help from aggressive marketing efforts - spread to cover practically everywhere anyone chooses to live in the United States. With “safety-as-a-service” packages starting at $2,500 per camera a year, the scanners are part of a growing wave of easy-to-use surveillance systems promoted for their crime-fighting powers in a country where property crime rates are at all-time lows. Flock has managed to make inroads into less spectacular neighborhoods, giving residents access to a wealth of plate/location data that is often shared with local law enforcement. And people inherently suspicious about anyone they don’t immediately recognize were more than happy to inflict surveillance tech on anyone passing through their neighborhoods.īut Flock, like Ring, isn’t just for those who’ve kept up with or surpassed the Joneses. Residents in low crime areas are told crime is headed their way. Flock Safety sells plate readers to gated communities and homeowners associations, promising peace of mind to residents who often have nothing to be worried about. FLOCK SAFETY LICENSERing, Amazon’s doorbell/camera acquisition, has driven its growth by portraying daily life as inherently unsafe - a portrayal aided by its partnership with hundreds of law enforcement agencies, who often act as an extension of its marketing department.Īnother growth market in the private sector relies on what’s normally considered to be law enforcement tech: license plate readers. Assertions about law enforcement efficiency have driven other tech acquisitions, ranging from repurposed war gear like Stingray devices to facial recognition software.īut there’s another force at work, one driven by private companies and aggressively marketed to private parties. The theory is a never ending documentation of vehicle movements results in more solved crimes and recovered stolen vehicles. The use of automatic license plate readers by law enforcement has steadily increased over the past decade. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |