Benn Jordan thinks the surveillance problem is much bigger than Flock
Summary
Ben Jordan, a musician and security researcher, discusses his investigation into Flock Safety’s automatic license plate reader network and its significant security vulnerabilities. He explains how Flock’s defensive PR strategy and lack of transparency triggered a bipartisan backlash, leading to contract cancellations and a Senate hearing. Jordan argues that the real issue is the broader, unregulated surveillance infrastructure shared by competitors like Axon and Motorola, which bypasses warrant requirements. He advocates for tangible policy solutions, such as immutable audit logs and the ab…
Topics discussed
Sponsors: CrowdStrike, Doppel, and Amex Corporate
Introduction to Ben Jordan and the Flock Safety backlash
Ben Jordan's background and the origins of ALPRs
Why the public is angry now: lack of opt-out
Local democracy in action: city council pushback
Flock as a buzzword and the Axon/Motorola comparison
Flock's defensive strategy and media attention
How the Flock network works: private nationwide database
The argument that surveillance reduces crime
Critique of ALPRs: crime relocation and nonviolent offenses
Sponsors: AIDR, T-Mobile, and Cisco OutShift
Security vulnerabilities in Flock hardware and software
Security by obscurity and the need for regulation
Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee
Partisan unity on privacy and the stress of testimony
The danger of conspiracy theories and data brokers
Data synthesis vs. phone listening: what is actually scary
Proposed solutions: audit logs, opt-outs, and trust
Sponsors: Pipedrive, AWS, and Quo
Threading the needle: surveillance as a solution vs. threat
The path forward: external auditors and guardrails
Stunt journalism, ethics, and maintaining nuance
Navigating YouTube algorithms and building trust
Outro and final sponsor: Vanta
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