Flock
Things to know about the surveillance system in our communities
First
This is not an argument about policing.
We are advocates for public safety.
What is Flock?
100,000
Estimated
cameras installed across the country
Flock is a Surveillance network
300
There are about
Cameras installed throughout Oregon
22
More Cameras in Lane County
24
Cameras in Springfield
56
Cameras in Eugene
How Flock works
Images and ?
Images of vehicles (and...)
Images and ?
Images of vehicles (and...)
?
About The company
2017
Founded
Flock is a Silicon Valley tech startup
$950 M
in funding
$300 M
in annual revenue
$7.5 B
Valuation
Tell us about a time you successfully hacked some (non-computer) system to your advantage.
Flock and crime
Here's what happened:
- Flock pays two employees to draft a whitepaper on Flock's impact on crime
- It then brings the completed whitepaper to two researchers at Texas universities and asks them to review its methodology;
- Then Flock adds them as authors to the "study";
- ...and publishes the study...
- ...and turns that into a press release that Flock is "instrumental in solving 10 percent of reported crime in the U.S."
Here's what happened:
- Flock pays two employees to draft a whitepaper on Flock's impact on crime
- It then brings the completed whitepaper to two researchers at Texas universities and asks them to review its methodology;
- Then Flock adds them as authors to the "study";
- ...and publishes the study...
- ...and turns that into a press release that Flock is "instrumental in solving 10 percent of reported crime in the U.S."
The researchers: "Wait... what? No."
What is an ALPR?
ALPR
- License plates ONLY
- Traffic enforcement
- Often connected to some kind of database
-
Limited capabilities
- Hotlists
- Have been around for decades (~1999)
Automated License Plate Reader
ALPR
Automated License Plate Reader
CAD / MCT
Computer or database for users
Cameras
Local Computer
Image processing and license plate recognition
ALPR
Automated License Plate Reader
ALPR
Automated License Plate Reader
Key points:
- Isolated systems
- Specific purpose
- Limited capability
Flock is not an ALPR
- Car
- Truck
- Bus
- Trailer
- Motorcycle
- Bicycle
- License Plate
- Person
- Dog (?)
- Cat (??)
Data Sharing
Flock is "a social media surveillance network."
- Federal Agent Fred would like to run a search across Oregon's Flock installations
- Federal Agent Fred would like to run a search across Oregon's Flock installations
- Oregon state law prohibits this
- Federal Agent Fred would like to run a search across Oregon's Flock installations
- Oregon state law prohibits this
- Federal Agent Fred contacts the Santa Rosa County Florida Sheriff's Office
- Federal Agent Fred would like to run a search across Oregon's Flock installations
- Oregon state law prohibits this
- Federal Agent Fred contacts the Santa Rosa County Florida Sheriff's Office
- Springfield, Oregon PD currently shares access to their network with Santa Rosa County Florida SO
- Federal Agent Fred would like to run a search across Oregon's Flock installations
- Oregon state law prohibits this
- Federal Agent Fred contacts the Santa Rosa County Florida Sheriff's Office
- Springfield, Oregon PD currently shares access to their network with Santa Rosa County Florida SO
- Agent Fred can now see what Springfield, Oregon sees
- Federal Agent Fred would like to run a search across Oregon's Flock installations
- Oregon state law prohibits this
- Federal Agent Fred contacts the Santa Rosa County Florida Sheriff's Office
- Springfield, Oregon PD currently shares access to their network with Santa Rosa County Florida SO
- Agent Fred can now see what Springfield, Oregon sees
Or, Agent Fred can request a larger-scale search from Santa Rosa County Florida on his behalf
This is called "BACK DOOR" Data sharing
(We in data security consider this to be a really bad thing.)
A highly-interconnected network with lots of different points that can leak data
Porous network:
More Data Sharing
March 2021
Encryption
encryption
encryption
encryption
encryption
encryption
Encryption in transit
Data is protected from somebody "listening in" over the network connection
encryption
Encryption at rest
Data is protected from somebody at AWS
encryption
End to end encryption?
Data is protected from unauthorized access at Flock
Data Ownership
Flock: our customers own the data. They get to decide how it's used and who they share it with.
If you don't own the encryption, then you don't own the data.
Data Ownership
Case in point:
OVERSIGHT
Why?
Why?
- Flock is a VC-funded tech startup
- $950 million raised during 9 funding rounds
- Last valuation (this year) at $7.5 billion by investors
- Their tech is... okay
- Investors would like to see a minimum 20x return
- What could Flock have that's worth over $20 billion?
Thank you
Q&A Time!
Flock Tech Overview
By robsheldon
