Hacker News Reader

Comment by jonahx | Hacker News Reader

Is there any realistic road to having them outlawed nationwide? Eg, ignoring probabilities here, could a wildly successful grassroots program where it became an issue as politically salient as immigration or abortion eventually lead to legislation banning them?

View on HN

A national ban is unlikely to happen. Big companies like Flock are incredibly experienced at paying off enough of the Congress to stop legislation they don't like. You're better off trying to focus your efforts on your local municipalities and the state.

This is true for almost every issue, for what it’s worth.

Almost.

> Is there any realistic...

SCOTUS could hand down another surprise decision:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatrie_v._United_States

If phone companies' geofence info requires a warrant, it makes zero sense that flock info does not.

> an issue as politically salient as immigration

This is more likely to lead to making them ubiquitous; people will demand a camera network linked to a database of valid faces of US nationals.

Probably? Would be easier to develop drones to rip off the solar panels.

Black spray paint is less effort

Paintballs are even better, environmentally and effort-wise.

Especially if the propellant tank is pressurized using a solar powered compressor.

(Theoretically, of course. I wouldn’t advocate destroying private property.)

Destroying public property is bad in a general sense, but not enough to describe the situation here.

Would you take the knife out of your robber? Or is that stealing private property?

Surveillance endangers society/democracy and it's a threat too

Paintballs are destroying public property?

Flock cameras are public property?

At no point did (or will) I defend the surveillance state.

Hypothetically, of course, it would be even easier to just sneak up from behind and drop contractor bags over them.

There is no sneak up from behind in this system, or at least it can be very hard to target. You must know the full extent of the network, emerge from the blind spots, dismantle pieces, then return to the blind spots. Faster than they repair the machines.

Ride there on an e-bike with a full motorcycle helmet. Cut down the pole. Cut off the camera. Throw the camera head in the river. GoFundMe if they catch you.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com