'Darth Vader' crashes meeting to share mocking message about controversial surveillance cameras
Darth Vader had a message for the people of San Diego, amid the growing concerns of Flock cameras.
The cameras are designed to catch criminals, however, people across the country are destroying the cameras due to privacy concerns. Flock themselves acknowledged the privacy concerns, and made changes including cutting data storage from 30 days to 7 days, as well as searches needing to include a reason or case number.
The Local American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is calling on the city of San Diego to cancel contracts for the automated license plate readers. The city held a public safety committee hearing this week, in which the man, dressed as the Star Wars character - made his point that the cameras could be used to help the 'dark side' pretty clear.
"The Emperor is a fan of Flock," he said. "We must continue ultilizing flock technologies so that we can follow and surveil the rebel scum as they move from playground to playground. From playground to pool, from pool to gymnasium, because we all know that the Flock cameras are not only following the license plate readers, they are following children. They are following children in parks and gymnasiums, and we need this.
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"I need this so I can stalk my ex-girlfriend," he said.
"And how will the people trust this City Council when this City Council continues to vote for surveillance technology that imprisons them? Ms. Campbell, you must work on your Jedi mind tricks," he added, addressing the City Council member Jennifer Campbell.
The man, dressed as Darth Vader, then asked if they could be used to 'help us find Luke Skywalker as he traverses the universe in his X-wing.'
“This technology is a necessary, necessary force,” he concluded.
At current, there are more than 500 Flock cameras around the city of San Diego, according to DeFlock, which is an independent project that maps the company’s network.
Due to this, there are protests happening around the areas. Many, were calling for the complete removal of the surveillance cameras.
On Thursday, protestors gathered outside the federal building, hoping to put an end to what they describe as 'widespread surveillance'.
They say they're concerned about how data from the Flock cameras is being used, with many calling for the complete removal.
The San Diego Police Department say that the cameras are used for official law enforcement purposes, which includes locating vehicles connected to investigations.
They say that the data used can only be accessed by authorized SDPD personnel. Data is only stored for longer than 30 days if it is needed to be preserved as evidence for a active investigation.
Flock has more than 120,000 cameras set up on roads across the US, which are said to scan billions of license plates per month.
The man dressed as Darth Vader has not yet been identified.
Kiesha Dosanjh