2.9 KiB
Q: Someone put a DeFlock/anti-ALPR sign on my property (or I got a "you need a permit" complaint about signage) — can you get it removed? A: Sorry to hear that's happening. For context, DeFlock is a website, some technical information and tooling, and a small organic community of people around the country — we don't print or post signage ourselves, and we don't encourage people to do so without checking and following local laws. People do print and share signage designs, almost always without consulting us first, and we have no hand in the methods or locations they choose. We're not aware of anyone specifically posting signs in [their city], so we may not be able to get this message to the right person directly — but we can post a notice in our community's [their state] channel asking whoever's been posting signs there to stop and get in touch with us. It's helpful if the reporter can share an exact location or a photo of one of the signs, so whoever posted it can recognize the message is about them.
Q: I want to print and hang up a bunch of signs — is that okay? A: Go for it! Feel free to download any of the printables we have at https://deflock.org/store (or upload your own designs so others can use them too). Keep us in the loop on how it goes and let us know if there's any way we can support you.
Q: Isn't damaging/vandalizing the cameras a valid way to fight back? A: We believe the cameras should be removed, and we understand the anger people feel about being surveilled this way. But property damage isn't a good route to that — it can create legal consequences for the person doing it, and it tends to shift public attention away from the actual concerns being raised. Calling your representatives (https://deflock.org/council) or putting up posters (https://deflock.org/store) to raise awareness is more productive toward our actual goal. Happy to help with either of those if you want it.
Q: Can DeFlock push city council to require warning signs on all the cameras? A: We get the instinct, but in practice we're not planning to spend our limited bandwidth lobbying cities to add camera-warning signs, since our actual goal is getting the cameras removed, not better-labeled. There's a strategic concern too: asking a council to add signage can unintentionally validate the cameras as acceptable "so long as they're marked," which shifts the conversation from whether they should exist at all to how they're implemented — not a compromise we want to make.
There's also a practical issue: most camera locations are far enough from approaching traffic that a camera-specific sign wouldn't be safely readable by a driver anyway, so it wouldn't function as a real-time warning. The signage we do support is aimed at building general public awareness (especially among pedestrians), not warning drivers in the moment. We've already made signs and educational materials for that purpose — people are welcome to print, share, and use them: https://deflock.org/store