Hackers dump a Flock camera's data: 1.6M images in 21 days, software tracks people too
StewartalsopIII · x · 2026-09-16
A hacker collective pulled down a Flock Safety camera, copied its storage, and shared the data with 404 Media and WIRED for a joint investigation. Key findings:
- The on-device software explicitly detects people in addition to vehicles, plates, and bicycles, contradicting Flock's claims
- Recovered logs show the camera generated over 1.6 million images in 21 days, covering roughly 50,000 vehicles
- An encryption key stored on the device itself let hackers unlock thousands of detection videos, refuting Flock's claim that someone with physical access can't retrieve images
- Researcher @GainSec warned about the physical-access issue over a year ago; Flock downplayed it
- Logs also show errors, crashes, and reboots, with the camera logging about every 2 minutes
More from Safety
- Teknium challenges US policy: will US companies be allowed to distill frontier models? — Teknium · 2026-09-16
- Bengio says AI regulation nears a Covid-style pivot as safety incidents pile up — nordicinst · 2026-09-16
- Australian online content could be scraped for AI by default under proposed copyright reforms — nordicinst · 2026-09-16
- Startups push back as Anthropic and OpenAI champion safety coordination that may squeeze smaller rivals — nmasc_ · 2026-09-16
- Senate committee advances JAWBONE Act to curb government pressure on platforms and AI — neil_chilson · 2026-09-16
- Synthesia exec: "AI is less regulated than a sandwich shop" claim is false — alexvoica · 2026-09-16