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AFK - ON SABBATICAL

@bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com
3.8K followers 819 following 1.2K posts

BRB FOR A BIT. A researcher who writes about #FOIA, policing and technology. I help run @lucyparsonslabs.com & give advice to @ddosecrets.com & @MuckRock.com.

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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 23/09/2026
I've heard this argument, unconvincing about FRT harms that we focused too much on things like disparate racial impact I think that misses. We're the *victims* of an police system that allows any cop to install apps on any device for any reason to arrest anyone because a computer told me to.
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 23/09/2026
One failure of FRT is how lawmakers behave as if tech is too complex to regulate. It's also why tech companies push for things like federal data privacy laws, they know Congress doesn't work. But Congress regulates stuff all the time, they're not experts in clean air/water or monopolies either.
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 23/09/2026
Like facial recognition tech, widespread anger and general creepy-ness was enough to warrant attention. I think unlike FRT, there are now larger formations, many autonomous, which are organizing against ALPRs.
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 23/09/2026
We can't get around these abuses without confronting corporate power, shady business practices and that fact that police departments are completely undemocratic institutions. Following the 2020 protests for racial justice, Dems just decided to pour massive amounts of money into the police. 👎🏽👎🏽👎🏽
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 23/09/2026
Today there is a bi-partisan hearing on ALPRs in Congress and I have a few thoughts. Like facial recognition, I think this is an important issue and (@lucyparsonslabs.com & friends) has been at the forefront of lots of research exposing the abuses. BUT.
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 09/09/2026
Beginning Friday (9/11), I will begin a sabbatical from @lucyparsonslabs.com until ~January. The org will, of course, continue to operate without me. However, I will be reading, resting, cooking and doing whatever I want.
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 02/09/2026
We often get requests for how to get involved in the work LPL is doing. We are finally re-opening our volunteers process up. Let's meet-up on Discord on Sept 8th and talk.
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 01/09/2026
We can make it happen
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 01/09/2026
I was on this show and basically reminded listeners that most of what cops do is play Candy Crush and fill out insurance paperwork. www.wbez.org/say-more-wit...
wbez.org
How do you feel about surveillance?
As Flock cameras continue to crop up nationwide, we ask listeners if surveillance technologies make them feel safer.
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 31/08/2026
Anyone seriously thinking about president should be talking about abolitioning ICE *AND* amnesty and citizenship for everyone wrapped up by these programs.
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Elizabeth Joh @elizabethjoh.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Flock: "Comparing state-by-state, the share of residents who are Black was the only demographic variable in the analysis with a statistically significant relationship to camera density." cybernews.com/privacy/stud...
cybernews.com
Flock camera density linked to black population share
Our study finds that US states with higher Black population shares tend to have higher Flock camera density. Discover how demographics influence surveillance.
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Haymarket Books @haymarketbooks.org · 30/08/2026
Remembering Fred Hampton born Aug. 30, 1948, assassinated Dec. 4, 1969 by Chicago police and the FBI
Fred Hampton speaks
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 28/08/2026
Police: we need flock cameras to help US find the creeps and perverts who stalk their ex-girlfriends. Also police: sooooo, it happened again, one of our cops was arrested for being a creep.
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 28/08/2026
I talked to the Sun-Times yesterday about Flock cameras and their controversy and the police said it’s been helpful for DV and stalking type cases. (I don’t think that talking point lands the way they want it to.) chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2026/0...
chicago.suntimes.com
Flock license plate readers turn Chicago suburbs into ground zero for bitter fight over surveillance
Cops have been accused of tapping into Flock's sprawling network to stalk people, while activists have been charged with vandalizing the company's cameras. But as some municipalities have jettisoned t...
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 27/08/2026
The war on drugs has always been used to justify surveillance budgets. In fact, civil asset forfeiture funds were used to fund the first ALPRs in Chicago. (We wrote about it here with @redshiftzero.bsky.social for the Reader) chicagoreader.com/news/inside-...
chicagoreader.com
Inside the Chicago Police Department’s secret budget - Chicago Reader
Every year, police take millions of dollars from ordinary Chicagoans and spend it behind closed doors.
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 27/08/2026
“Sorry our right wing billionaires got you addicted to drugs. Have a camera.” bsky.app/profile/hype...
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Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 27/08/2026
“A review of meeting minutes, local reporting, state opioid expenditure disclosures, and invoices obtained via public records requests reveals that at least twelve sheriffs’ offices and police departments have since 2024 spent their opioid funds on Flock cameras.”
motherjones.com
Police are spending opioid settlement funds on Flock cameras
Historic opioid settlements were supposed to be a lifeline for underserved communities. But much of that money is flowing to law enforcement.
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 27/08/2026
I talk a lot about how much I hate Flock (for good reason) but did you know you can help @lucyparsonslabs.com continue to investigate these companies? We are a engine of change and you can help pour gas into our tank to take these companies on. donorbox.org/lpl-alpr-fund
donorbox.org
Help LPL Investigate Flock | Lucy Parsons Labs (Powered by Donorbox)
Lucy Parsons Labs is organizing against ALPR technologies and we need your help to continue this work. LPL is building coalitions, strengthening research and helping organizers around the country take...
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 27/08/2026
these things are so unpopular that police are putting up fake cameras to try to entice people to smash them.
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 25/08/2026
President Trump! We are getting ripped off my CANADIAN PODCAST equipment that we must tariff at 9000% IMMEDIATELY.
horrible alderman Ray Lopez announces a podcast with his husband.
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 25/08/2026
What a crazy non story because the controversial thing Hasan said isn’t even particularly radical !
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 24/08/2026
the State continues to disappear our neighbors across Chicago.
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 21/08/2026
Illinois has rules on the use of ALPRs: the problem is police and flock roundly break those rules. For example, it’s illegal to misuse police databases to stalk your ex.
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Joey Scott @joeyneverjoe.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
New from me: People returning to Altadena after the Eaton fires are noticing new, unwelcome additions to the landscape. It’s the 50 Flock cameras the company donated to the LA County Sheriff’s to combat “looting.” Except the dept didn’t tell the town officials or residents lataco.com/altadena-flo...
lataco.com
Altadena Residents Haunted By Flock Cameras Installed After Deadly Fire ~ L.A. TACO
“Altadena has spoken,” a resident says. “We don't want surveillance cameras. We don't want Flock replaced by another company's cameras."
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 20/08/2026
They should put a drone on top of a drone.
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 20/08/2026
So like drones with ALPRs that deploy automatically after a car crash by insurance corpos, ALPRs on drones with tasers attached, ALPR parking for your apartment building, ALPR repo man, you get the picture
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 20/08/2026
2/2 But what is true is that as hardware gets cheaper, more data is collected and gets cheaper to store etc. the way the vendors differentiate from each other is new “software features” that are incompatible with data security and guardrails. So guardrails become impossible to enforce.
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 20/08/2026
Something I’ve pointed out to activists and elected officials now all across the country: ALPRs are not particularly sophisticated technical machines. It’s mostly a “solved” problem in computation. 1/2
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 20/08/2026
Isn’t the head of the Chicago Park District a self described democratic socialist?
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Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 20/08/2026
“The no-bill doesn’t legalize destroying cameras. It doesn’t cancel Flock’s OH contracts. But when a grand jury declines to treat smashing a surveillance camera as serious felony business, that signals something real about where public sentiment sits — and that tension isn’t resolving anytime soon”
gadgetreview.com
Smashing the Surveillance Grid: Grand Jury Dismisses Felony Charges Against Ohio Man
Ohio grand jury declines to indict man who destroyed a Flock license plate reader, spotlighting growing backlash over ALPR privacy in Ohio.
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The Onion @theonion.com · 19/08/2026
Democratic Socialism: Myth Vs. Fact theonion.com/democratic-socialism-m…
MYTH: The government will take away your money and give it to the poor.

FACT: You are the poor.
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Dhruv Mehrotra @dmehro.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
NEW: Flock has said for years its cameras don’t identify or track people. We obtained the code for its police AI and rebuilt parts of it. The tool can find witnesses, surface associates, search people by race or physical description, and flag vehicles by how they move. W/ @dell.bsky.social
wired.com
Flock Has a Powerful New AI Tool for Police. We Got Its Code
Flock’s surveillance cameras have already sparked outrage. WIRED reconstructed its next-generation AI system, already in use by some police, to confirm it goes much further than tracking license plate...
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 19/08/2026
Quite literally, the way these low-cost surveillance technologies are being sold to police departments is “search, search, search,” “unlimited uses” etc. This is a downstream effect of their marketing and PR choices.
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 19/08/2026
Yesterday I was on a panel about if there are good safeguards or legislation around ALPRs. Rep Dylan Wegela (MI House) said “yah but like stalking and misusing these databases is already illegal so…”
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Kashmir Hill @kashhill.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Interesting choice for the Zoom background by Flock's CEO
Screenshot of Flock CEO Garrett Langley with a framed headline on the desk behind him that reads 'Snitching-ass startup raises $10 million to privatize the surveillance state.'
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 16/08/2026
Stop emailing me! I do not wish to keep my account secure!!
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 16/08/2026
“Actually I’m unemployed in cybersecurity”
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 16/08/2026
I’ve seen a lot of comments about this online and it is not a resolution calling for the abolition of ICE. It’s the typical mealy talking points that talk out of both sides of the mouth. It also asks for a bunch of reforms which is typical of liberals who believe in institutions.
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 13/08/2026
Coincidentally, on public radio this morning, they asked me about these reforms. I pointed to the fact that police log reasons for searches as “aaaaa”: you can’t trust to self-patrol. www.wbez.org/say-more-wit...
wbez.org
How do you feel about surveillance?
As Flock cameras continue to crop up nationwide, we ask listeners if surveillance technologies make them feel safer.
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 13/08/2026
Thanks to @WBEZ for having us on to talk about all issues surveillance. Lots of callers were very distrustful of Big Tech and we talked about (some) ways Flock has been caught breaking the law. www.wbez.org/say-more-wit...
wbez.org
How do you feel about surveillance?
As Flock cameras continue to crop up nationwide, we ask listeners if surveillance technologies make them feel safer.
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 13/08/2026
Segment should be starting in about 20 minutes!
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Matthew Guariglia @mguariglia.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
The relationship between US law enforcement and companies that make messed up weapons and technology is really a "if you build it, they will come" scenario----the appetite for inflicting terror and pain grows and the companies step up to provide it.
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 11/08/2026
We've been suing the Chicago Police Department for 2 years and they still won't produce records. I was reading our latest motions in front of the judge and of course, we are citing our own (newest) rulings against CPD to ask for discovery on a separate issue.
a snippet from the motion that reads: "Willful and intentional conduct may be demonstrated by a public body or its employee’s “knowing the statute exists, knowing that you have already violated the statute, knowing that you have no good reason to continue to violate the statute and violating it anyway.” Lucy Parsons Labs v. The Chi. Police Dep’t, 2026 IL App (1st) 250205, ¶ 31 (Internal quotations omitted). The statute also may give rise to penalties under the “catchall” language of section 11(j), a broad category of possible bad faith actions that a public body can take in violation of FOIA. Id.at ¶ 37 (Citing Chapman v. Chi. Dep’t of Fin., 2023 IL 128300, ¶
38).
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 10/08/2026
Holy crap the richest tech company in the world needs to borrow half a TRILLION dollars to cover AI capex? 💀💀💀
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 10/08/2026
Wait Tronc was 10 years ago ???
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Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
NEW: We’ve spent a year tracking ICE’s massive expansion of detention for people with years-long ties to the U.S. It has strained courts, wrecked lives and been widely deemed illegal. Our report, based on interviews with judges, detainees and attorneys: www.politico.com/news/2026/08...
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Don’t Post About Crimes @katerosebee.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Tomorrow Saturday 8/8 at the @cryptovillage.bsky.social at 5pm, come to the @deflock.org fans & contributors meetup at this timely #defcon34 talk, “The National Movement Against ALPRs.” Come learn about where the movement is headed, and then be part of it! We’ll be hanging around the village after.
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 07/08/2026
dudes rock
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AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 07/08/2026
I still have one human badge to give away for #DEFCON34. Come grab it from me and then join us tomorrow at our talk about Flock where I'll just be showing 404 media headlines and getting increasingly pissed off. www.404media.co/flock-pitche...
404media.co
Flock Pitched a Plan To Turn Uber and Lyft Drivers Into Roaming Surveillance Vehicles
A Flock presentation shows the company planned to use around 350,000 Uber, Lyft, and delivery drivers to collect license plate data for its surveillance system.
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Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
New: Flock planned to use cameras in hundreds of thousands of Uber, Lyft, and delivery driver vehicles as a way to collect more license plate data. Pitched the idea to an Attorney General. Would basically turn Uber/Lyft into roaming surveillance vehicles www.404media.co/flock-pitche...
404media.co
Flock Pitched a Plan To Turn Uber and Lyft Drivers Into Roaming Surveillance Vehicles
A Flock presentation shows the company planned to use around 350,000 Uber, Lyft, and delivery drivers to collect license plate data for its surveillance system.
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