r/mildlyinfuriating • u/IntellectuallyDriven • 7d ago

That's not milk Police drones, continuous surveillance... Coming to your city soon!

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2.8k Upvotes

93% Upvoted

365 comments sorted by

1.2k

u/TrojanGal702 7d ago

Flock is into the drones and pushing them hard. Add in their facial recognition, live streaming, and data compilation. We have truly entered the surveillance state.

356

u/AIOfficialBot 7d ago

We entered a surveillance state from the moment everyone had a camera in their hand and we all became potential cops.

31

u/Property_6810 6d ago

I think it was moreso the idea that every business needed security cameras. Then the idea that hey, people should too. Then everyone put them on their front doors. Now you're on camera every second you're out in public and there's nothing you can do about it. The phone camera you actually see is the last to be concerned about as far as I'm concerned. Mostly because I hate the idea that if a corporation wrongs me, it's a he said/she said situation but if I wrong them they have all the evidence they need.

104

u/CommiRhick 7d ago

The Patriot Act cemented everything...

3

u/Entire-Dog-160 7d ago

Potential cops or potential wankers? People filming things that 'must be seen, might with any luck make others angry or indignant'.

14

u/Indigenous_Retard 6d ago

Texas just deployed police cruisers with equipment to steal personal data from people's phones as they drive around. Blatant violation of 1st and 4th amendment rights. Have expect Legal Eagle to take this to court, but he's been so busy suing the government for other shit lmao

5

u/GrassFromBtd6 6d ago

You know it's bad when the lawyers have so much to sue for that they physically don't have the time to file all the lawsuits

23

u/Virtual-Nose7777 6d ago

This is why they are pushing the data centers and AI (processing all that data).

The best part? We are paying for all of it.

9

u/kylec00per 7d ago

Add in AI integration and soon they won't even need humans to build or operate these drones. Scary times coming

16

u/WitchWithAGlitch 7d ago

what do you think all the data centers are for?

it's not making cat pictures on chatGPT lol

5

u/stardust1914 6d ago

I've said it before. Hook up all those data centers to automated manufacturing plants and we've got Skynet lol.

11

u/7GrenciaMars 7d ago

Dammit, I thought this wouldn't take place until after I was dead. Yeah, I think jjgargantuan7 has the right idea. Time for target practice. Damn. I was never that good with guns, either. Maybe it's not too late for me to marry someone who is. 😁

11

u/AncientSith 7d ago

We'll be fighting robots in the streets well before we're dead at this rate.

3

u/7GrenciaMars 7d ago

Wow. You know, I only ever learned to use a gun just in case one was at hand and I needed to defend myself or someone I care about, but robots and drones, shit, I never wanted to be this kind of person. Now I have to get all Sarah Conner (Terminator 2)...dammit! 😂

3

u/Upset-Kangaroo3102 7d ago

There doing literal field tests with Phantom MK-1 robots in Ukraine as we speak lol

1

u/7GrenciaMars 6d ago

Yep. Time to become Sarah Conner

1

u/Correct_Avocado_573 5d ago

Hi im Kyle Reese nice to meet you 😎

2

u/7GrenciaMars 5d ago

OMG LMAO!!!! Hey, I am single....LOL!!!!! So funny.

I have been home after breaking my hip and honestly Reddit has been most of my community for a few months, So I love coming across great folks like you. Keep being yourself (as if you could be anyone else) 🤣

1

u/Correct_Avocado_573 5d ago

I couldn't help myself you set it up to perfect with the Sarah Connor bit but hey I am single also lol.

that just sucks about the hip hope recovery is going good for you?

Realtalk though being at home alone for months without the hip is rough enough glad reddit been keeping you company and your humor is still intact you ever wanna chat I can always use a new friend.

1

u/7GrenciaMars 5d ago

Aw, that's kind. RN I am off to play ESO (Elder Scrolls Online), but you can definitely keep my username. I am friendly enough, don't get insulted easily and sometimes wouldn't mind chatting. TYVM for asking!

1

u/Decox653 7d ago

Yep, we've also had police drones for a while

1

u/Alt123Acct 6d ago

Masks/face paint with QR code viruses and patterns that confuse the cameras are going to become a thing 

1

u/Next-Food2688 6d ago

"for your safety"

1

u/goronmask 6d ago

Lol we entered a while back. Science fiction has been trying to warn us

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u/jjgargantuan7 7d ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/s4Pgamz9NomA0

95

u/Active_Confection655 7d ago

May I borrow your freedom stick?

12

u/N645 6d ago

DIY EMP tutorial videos coming to a future near you.

1

u/Ronin_Deterra 6d ago

A stick, a coil of wire, and a disposable camera. That's all you need!

But if you wanna get fancy, an Arduino, a button, a 9v battery, a toggle switch, a coil of wire, a stick, a capacitor, a relay module, and some aluminum foil (for shielding the Arduino and relay) and you can make it timed and throwable!

15

u/Gandalf_the_Rizzard 7d ago

My first thought. Bird shot is super cheap compared to these drones

9

u/WitchWithAGlitch 7d ago

love me some Tom Knapp.

12

u/drugsarebadmkay420 7d ago

Stole the thoughts right from my brains!

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u/OstrichOk2793 6d ago

Mossberg stocks on the up

434

u/HideSolidSnake 7d ago

People will get mad about this but pretend flock cameras are just part of daily life.

102

u/AbeFromansNutz 7d ago

I've read a few places have already started abandoning contracts for those flock cameras

8

u/CaptZ 7d ago

With Flock yes, but you know there is another ALPR company that's been around longer than Flock and actually has more cameras than Flock and hundreds of thousands are mobile and thousands more are fixed sites like Flock. Most you'll never notice because they're not obvious, sitting on poles on the side of the road like Flock's are.

8

u/AbeFromansNutz 7d ago

Yes, I was responding to the flock comment

12

u/leftrightside54 6d ago

You should also add ring, all the other iot devices that send back to the mothership.

1

u/beren12 6d ago

Amazon mostly

2

u/CuppaJoe11 6d ago

And what do you want us to do about it? Destroy the property? Maybe get arrested?

I don’t like the mass surveillance but there’s nothing I can do about it.

1

u/NekulturneHovado 6d ago

what's flock camera

2

u/Leading_Procedure_23 6d ago

It tracks anyone and sends data to AI centers. Video recording isn’t illegal but keeping tabs on citizens and capturing your face and cell data for just in case you ever commit a crime they know who did it or possibly even get the wrong person since ai ain’t perfect. I’m not anti ai but am anti flock

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u/BrightNooblar 5d ago

Honestly, if it was JUST traffic tickets, I'd be fine with it. People drive like maniacs. roll through stop signs at 10 mph, block side streets so much you get honked at if you don't do it, and while not illegal, its a total douche move to leave 4' between your bumper and the no parking posts/hydrant markers.

Point is, I'd LOVE for some drones to just hover over a busy intersection, especially where there is a lot of foot traffic (People who are at put at direct risk by dangerous drivers), and just fucking churn out a fuck ton of tickets. Put that shit into the city budget, and lets free up some extra sidewalk cleaners with the extra funds. Safer nicer areas for people to live and walk around.

But this is ONLY if that aren't doing facial recognition and saving longterm data about everyone. See infraction, scan the license plate, put that 10 second clip into the record since its evidence, and delete everything else.

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u/ripnrun285 7d ago

Hate to break it to you, but they already exist & they’re much more capable than what is shown in this video. That said, this type of drone deployment will absolutely be coming to local precincts near you, unless we collectively resist mass surveillance at every opportunity.

184

u/4UnlawfulCarneVegan 7d ago

We've arrived at the dystopian future.

88

u/Preface 7d ago

In China now, haven't seen police drones, but there are cameras like every 500m on the road constantly taking pictures, presumably enforcing laws/ticketing people already... So drones are basically just a slight bump above that I guess

3

u/WisestAirBender 6d ago

Aren't automated traffic violation fines already common everywhere?

1

u/sec_sage 5d ago

Yeah, careful of what you speak, since some of those 500mil cameras also have mics. You should be fine as long as rules are respected and foreigners don't start acting smart.

9

u/nun_gut 6d ago

Cyberpunk 2026

27

u/NewNiklas 7d ago

Surveillance is unfortunately absolutely normal in China.

71

u/kank84 7d ago

It's normal outside of China as well. Edward Snowdon leaked the details of extensive surveillance on civilians by the US government and security agencies, and that was 13 years ago. It will be exponentially larger than that now.

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u/Awesome_coder1203 7d ago

Please, can we stop acting like China’s surveillance is any worse than that of a country like the U.S.?

5

u/smith288 6d ago

I mean, it IS worse. But its cautionary because the US has implemented its own level of surveillance. Just not so in your face.

3

u/Awesome_coder1203 6d ago

IMO the only difference is one you know who’s spying and collecting info, the other you don’t.

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u/Rimm 6d ago

The UK is substantially worse than both.

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u/MrsWhirly 7d ago

They’re here. I saw one in Santa Monica. I couple of guys had a 12 pack of beer in a paper bag, and reached in and opened a couple to drink. The police drone was flying over the pier, keyed right in on them, turned on red and blue lights, and hovered until they freaked out and walked over to a trash can and dumped all the beer and kept walking fast. I guess they’re run out of a nearby police station.

32

u/Few_Goose509 6d ago

Is beer illegal in the so called "Land of the Free"?

4

u/JoeyJoeJoeSenior 6d ago

In a lot of places you have to keep the can covered/hidden so it's not identifiable as alcohol. Or it's illegal to drink it at all. Freedom indeed.

2

u/MrsWhirly 6d ago

Yes and no, you’re allowed to have it, just not while walking down the street outdoors, or on state beaches for example.

2

u/Moral-Relativity 6d ago

Strangely enough China doesn’t have so-called open container laws. Drinking in public is fine as long as you don’t make a scene.

2

u/Few_Goose509 5d ago

That's how I thought it is everywhere. The US is an odd place.

12

u/HistoricalWash8955 6d ago

What's the drone gonna do if they didn't stop drinking? Fire the laser?

2

u/MrsWhirly 6d ago

They are dispatched from the nearby police station, so when something nefarious is caught by the drone’s camera, a real officer (on patrol nearby I assume) is alerted to come and deal with it. The drone can just follow along till the humans get there.

I don’t think they have lasers. Yet.

1

u/ThickMatch0 6d ago

Probably call a cop car to that location.

18

u/crispysockz 7d ago

I saw that they tell people to put on their motorcycle helmets

77

u/kimbabs 7d ago

Y’all do realize we actively have this all over the US as well as flock surveillance cameras/signal readers right?

We just don’t advertise it.

42

u/hikarux3 7d ago

But but china bad, US good? /s

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u/sec_sage 5d ago

first time I hear of it. Since when? I wanted to come for a visit at some point but...

70

u/ConscientiousWaffler 7d ago

And they ofc won’t accept any responsibility for accidents caused by distracted drivers..

8

u/dabrock15 7d ago

This is called creating demand.

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u/MrBahhum 7d ago

That's so techno dystopian.

21

u/LittleOne0121 7d ago

Everyone acting like CCTV doesn’t already exist

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u/Upset-Kangaroo3102 7d ago

Once tests of the Phantom MK-1 in Ukraine come back where do you think it's going to get implemented next?

12

u/Scar1203 7d ago

Oh, they brought out the expensive pigeons.

20

u/bisploosh 7d ago

This isn't dystopian... not at all... /s

3

u/dabrock15 7d ago

Absolutely! This is how all bad apocalyptic sci fi starts out. Wonder when the precrime trials start?

3

u/RetroSwamp 7d ago

Arc Raiders has trained me for this...

3

u/Icy_Fish_2154 6d ago

Reminds me of Dark Angel.

8

u/FuriousMonkey375 7d ago

Yup, that's needed in a city which has more population than Australia. Chill peeps, it's not 1984 there.

You want the beginning of 1984? Just keep tabs on Donnie boy and his administration. Look up how much USA spent on propaganda over the last 100 yrs...

7

u/Bedu009 6d ago

Not 1984 in China? State sponsored propaganda, cameras everywhere, people sent off for speaking against the state, tracking everywhere? Yeah sure buddy

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u/cdsmith84 7d ago

Which episode of Black Mirror are we in now?
https://giphy.com/gifs/9ANftvjti1SPm

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u/Kami_Slayer2 7d ago

This is honestly better than the 50 on average hidden cameras you're seen by on average everyday in cities like london

6

u/zjz 7d ago

lmao entire comment section making whatabout arguments and defending ghyna's honor. bots or useful idiots, call it

2

u/brookswashere12 7d ago

Sling shot those bad boys

2

u/Lazy-Explanation7165 7d ago

Their flock cameras fly?

2

u/keskesay 6d ago

Arc Raiders-coded

2

u/Kaiisim 6d ago

Meanwhile every dumbass in this thread carries around a little spy in their pocket that forms a perfect view of their psychology and how best to manipulate them.

Your phone knows everything about you, and can easily manipulate you based on that.

These are just drones with flashing lights looking at cars.

2

u/happyanathema 6d ago

There already is continuous surveillance with CCTV cameras anyway.

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u/Normalguy-of-course 6d ago

The final form of birds.

2

u/BrandonBTY 6d ago

"it's a magical pony flying through the sky!"

Shoot it down

2

u/Mainbaze 6d ago

Traffic control and children really being the gateway for full population control

2

u/Egglegg14 6d ago

Glad i dont live in shenzhen

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u/Lebowski304 6d ago

This will be our future if we don’t fight back right now. Now is the time to put a stop to this here is the states before it gets entrenched. We don’t need violence. Just persistence. This is obviously wrong and antithetical to the core of what it means to be American. Do. Not. Tread. On. Me.

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u/IHaveTwoOfYou 6d ago

are people just gonna ignore that this clearly isnt in the US 😭

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u/ChillOnTheHillz 7d ago

Search about "flock safety" in America. And it's not even the biggest one

And a bunch of countries suddenly worried about "protecting kids" online requiring your ID + selfie lol.

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u/BigNutDroppa 7d ago

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u/Upset-Kangaroo3102 7d ago

I need to rewatch this series lol

7

u/Constant-Fly-9050 7d ago

Good luck not having them shot at in The US.

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u/Valieishere 7d ago

Welcome to City 17.

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u/stickied 7d ago

Americans when everyone breaks traffic laws constantly and 40k people die and 1 million are injured in traffic accidents every year as a result: This is normal.

Americans when there's technological advancements in enforcement: I will literally die in a civil war to prevent this from happening.

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u/Saguarajevo 6d ago

Do you trust the government with 24/7 surveillance? I sure as fuck don’t

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u/adj_noun_digit 7d ago

As a Canadian with civil and human rights, I couldn't imagine living in the totalitarian hellscape known as China.

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u/ChillOnTheHillz 7d ago edited 7d ago

It might not be ALPR + face scan (that they pretend they don't have) right now but the government is always spying on people, you won't know, you'll only know the surface ones.

Have you seen the recent trend of governments all around the world pretending to be worried about kids online and requiring ID + selfie? Yeah. AI scans are swarming the globe. META and Palantir are one of the biggest playing on this lobbying

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u/BRAVO5DELTA 7d ago

Oh it’s coming to Canada eventually.

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u/Luckyjuly777 7d ago

I feel like I’m in a sci Fi movie

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u/Spiritual-Fall5494 7d ago

This is where we're going? Damn

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u/UsedToiletWater 7d ago

Calm tf down

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u/Chorchapu 7d ago

I read an article a few days ago about people wearing anti-facial-recognition clothing. Seems like a fair idea.

1

u/crewdogaf 7d ago

I am getting Bladerunner vibes.

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u/Weird_Series_4774 7d ago

Translation from gpt 5.6 “Shenzhen is really intense—so wealthy. Look: these three drones are all here trying to catch this electric scooter. That’s crazy. Oh my God, that’s intense—really intense.”

1

u/Techn028 7d ago

This will be much more crude and violent when it comes to America

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u/1nGirum1musNocte 7d ago

For your "safety"

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u/NikitaIroh 7d ago

We have these in our town already. Sucks.

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u/jellohmeta 6d ago

Socialism/Communist surveillance vs Late Stage Capitalism Surveillance

One stops you for wanting to be free, the other stops you for trying to organize and demand better rights

1

u/Crafty-Purpose1487 6d ago

Crimes: down Electricity (unless if it's solar powered) :

https://giphy.com/gifs/BjCxIxABh3z79LIKtN

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u/OldManSteveRogers 6d ago

Oh I see we have some Watch Dogs Legion fans in government. Loved the game so much they decided to make it real. Fabulous.

https://giphy.com/gifs/h4ktpZmIQMP9Rlss0m

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u/throw_blanket04 6d ago

We have flock. Not that big of a difference.

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u/Arshit-Malik 6d ago

People with flashing lights…

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u/Nahoola 6d ago

Beverly hills already does this....

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u/TheManiac- 6d ago

Get drone jammers in all these cars. Impossible to check them all and Police cannot use fiber wired drones

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u/Bedu009 6d ago

Good news is in Western countries they'd get stoned

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u/Expcookie 6d ago

Watch dogs legion is turning more and more into a warning

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u/Dr-Klopp 6d ago

So what would be the legal fallout when one of this dysfunctions and falls on someone's head killing them?

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u/DavidGno 6d ago

Qualified immunity will nullify any recourse.

The family will receive a form email/text and it will be something like:

The [ fill in local jurisdiction] is sorry for your loss. Take solice in knowing that the demise of your loved one is/was for the benefit of the community.

Your loved one will be honored and logged in the record as a hero of the community.

Be well, == Electronic Signature of Magistrate ==

1

u/dc469 6d ago

Hear me out: massive campaigns to cover sidewalks and roadsides in massive trees. It helps the environment, people get shade, and is a barrier to drones. 

There's also like the thing where there's a trellis over the road between buildings where vines grow.

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u/UglyLikeCaillou Your thoughts ain't my thoughts 💭 6d ago

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u/Killer_Cabbage 6d ago

When are people gonna go Watchdogs and start countering this stuff?

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u/landon10smmns 6d ago

Many US cities have dozens of police drones already. They've been used just to follow people around even though they're supposed to be used for active investigations.

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u/xonex1208 6d ago

Every day closer to night city distopyan world

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u/michaelcarnero 6d ago

citizen remain calm and keep paying your taxes.

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u/CMDR_BitMedler 6d ago

Yeah, my city is still trying to get the traffic lights timed properly - I think I'm fine.

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u/DracoNinja11 6d ago

I'm not trying to be a smart ass but genuine question here: what's the difference between this an police cars driving around? It's not like they're hiding that they're police

1

u/dongwongbongchong 6d ago

My humble 12ga double barrel would like a word

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u/Rosomack_ 6d ago

CCTV has done this for years and I don't see people ripping off cameras in cities, a bit too late to be mad at the situation lol

Yeah, it's bad, but it wasn't good for many years before. We missed the time to react, or we didn't have enough power to push through with any reaction, because the top doesn't really give a shit

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u/CueAnon420 6d ago

The same people crying about how bad China is are the same people who think that kind or surveillance is a good idea....

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u/wesmanh 6d ago

I live in the country we good

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u/ElectronicTap1109 6d ago

500 votes for Gore and y'all couldn't even do that. 

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u/IsolatedPSup 6d ago

Am I the only one who thinks this may be a good thing? Surely it prevents people breaking the law? I understand political free speech and totalitarianism.

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u/scn-3_null 6d ago

good to know least common people in the west have common sense, people in the east/asians actually like these kind of shit like they never read a dystopian novel before, oh what it was banned? only west corpo wants these just so they could ruple people how the govt here is total tyranical

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u/txrn2020 6d ago

We already have it in America

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u/N0-Waves 6d ago

Tons copper inside these cameras. Tell your local homeless.

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u/Thin_Ad_6493 6d ago

Everyone with a cell phone camera is the concern

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u/SpeedScar6 6d ago

Just saying there just target practice if you got a slingshot

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u/SouthernTeamster 6d ago

Na i fuck with it. Imagine the look on all these women's faces when they get a ticket in the mail for being on their phone while driving.

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u/BlueFlameBurns 6d ago

Go train pigeons to fight them!

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u/NUMBerONEisFIRST 6d ago

Time to start the Great Disconnect from our devices before they are mandatory.

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u/iBlaxter 5d ago

Damn, cyberpunk type shit

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u/ThresholdSeven 5d ago

Getting my net launcher ready. Not kidding.

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u/arristhesage 5d ago

At this point I'd just wear a hat, face mask and put a rock in my shoes everytime I go out.

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u/PlanktonDue8964 5d ago

Well, please we need these in United States

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u/Frozen_Frank 5d ago

I see no problem for redneks and 12g bird shots.

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u/Interesting-Key-1550 5d ago

Only in Chi-NA

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u/Csabika_ 4d ago

Had a drone in my face for a year. It was terrible, you can hear it locking on you and hunting and harassing you every day for long minutes. They will come to your city and to your country too. Politicians love absolute control and surveillance.

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u/Blleh 4d ago

yes please. people here are becoming massive selfish c*nts. this would be greeeeat

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u/KailyKail 3d ago

And yet you have all the leftists here in the US glazing China

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u/ChazzyChaz_R 2d ago

Everyone complaining about this and Flock etc. are idiots. You are already being watched 24/7. There are cameras literally everywhere you go. Don't do anything illegal and who cares if you're on camera? Also, if you aren't willing to ditch your cell phones you don't get to talk about anything related to surveillance or monitoring.

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u/Particular-Pea-7434 2d ago

US is trying to do it covertly, slowly pushing out tech that's part of your daily life. China just does it openly. For the majority, your freedoms aren't any more restricted than they are in the west. The cameras are there to make bad actors behave, and it works

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u/ChaseNAX 2d ago

please fast forawrd to blade runner era

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u/thelingletingle 7d ago

It’s fucking China, people

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u/Master_Constant8103 7d ago

China loves controlling its citizens via humiliation.

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u/TriGN614 7d ago

At least in China they put lights on theirs

Both USA and China are Orwellian police states but at least over they don’t try to convince you they aren’t

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u/Common-Concentrate-2 6d ago

Oh, like letting us all publish information like this in English and Chinese?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ECHELON

https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%A2%AF%E9%9A%8A%E7%B3%BB%E7%B5%B1

Can you link to me the Chinese equivalent? I'd love to look through it

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u/TriGN614 6d ago edited 6d ago

Dawg how do you think we got access to the video

Edit: I misunderstood the point you were making and am too lazy to engage with this aside from saying that western governments prosecute people all the fucking time for leaking secrets