this post was submitted on 15 Jul 2026
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Standardized NEMA sockets let municipalities add cameras and air sensors to existing poles with no public vote or new hardware

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[–] Anonymouse@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago

IANAL and you should do your own research, but my understanding of the dangers of something like a Flock camera is that it's a private company who surveils citizens and compiles the data into something that law enforcement can purchase without a warrant, effectively circumventing Americans' 4th amendment rights. In this case, it's a city device that can host a camera. I believe that the city would not be able to perform warrantless mass surveilence using these devices the same way that a private company can. I believe it's similar to those cameras on traffic signals that monitor the performance of the intersection but not perform ALPR data collection. It's a subtle but important difference.

I may have no idea what I'm talking about also, so if you are an authority on these matters or someone with industry knowledge, please correct me.