I’ve heard from people that these are some kind of special cameras, possibly with AI, that can completely scan your phone that is, the files on your phone, your contacts and so on, I don’t know for sure. It’s possible that even if your phone is turned off, it won’t help. It’s scary for me.
Maybe it’s my paranoia, but if I remember correctly, 5 years ago I didn’t even know that it was possible to spy on people via Wi-Fi and thought that AI wouldn’t come soon, but in reality, the reality turned out to be much scarier. Holy crap.
I’ve read a few articles, but they’re aimed at reducing the risk so that people don’t panic, it looks like they’re just trying to give small hints; perhaps you know more?
Flock is a private security company which has been making contracts with city and state governments all over the US to put up their cameras in public spaces. These cameras use AI to monitor the public and report any potential crimes to law enforcement.
Unfortunately, AI is in its infancy and highly fallible. So most of the “crimes” reported are false. Just hallucinations by the AI. However, this doesn’t stop police from responding to every report and treating innocent civilians like criminals before they’ve done a proper human assessment of the situation or any real detective work.
On top of that, police (and government officials) are using these cameras to spy on American citizens and stalk them. Harassment of “suspected criminals” is at an all-time-high thanks to these cameras, and biases (read: racism) are being encouraged. Especially with all the issues with ICE going on right now.
The cameras aren’t even encrypted properly, and some more tech-savvy folks are finding it easy to connect to the Flock camera network and browse cameras themselves without any actual credentials or authorization. You never know who is actually looking at you through these cameras.
The issue with your phone being scanned is a whole different thing unrelated to Flock cameras. Law enforcement can set up fake relay “towers” for cell phones in a mobile van, which your phone will connect to automatically while searching for the nearest strong signal. Then they can track all data that comes and goes from your phone, effectively watching everything you do on your device.
The problem is, they can’t pinpoint specific phones to connect to, so everyone in the area will automatically connect to their relay and they can effectively collect data on dozens of wireless devices all at once. It’s a short-range relay, so it’s not like they’re tracking everyone in the city. But if they’re looking for someone in particular, everyone in the area will have their private data accessed without their knowledge.
Can someone scan your phone and remotely access all of your data? Yes and no. With the right equipment, software, and skill, your phone can be remotely hacked. But no one is just pointing a device at your phone and stealing data that way. Especially not Flock. Their AI is just (falsely) reporting on what their cameras detect. They’re not actively scanning signals in the area and attempting to hack them.
Most hacked devices are either random (hackers scanning networks until they find an unsecure device), targeted attacks by someone with a purpose, or just a regular person accidentally clicking on a bad file or website link that installs a virus on their device that allows hackers to access it.