Militia Hill, PA – At a roadside rally today, Ken Krawchuk, the Pennsylvania Libertarian gubernatorial candidate, called for an immediate statewide ban on the use of Flock Safety cameras and similar surveillance technology until responsible, controlling, statewide legislation is enacted.
“It’s a fact that technology has stolen our privacy. Ever since Richard Nixon’s tapes were forced to be made public, I’ve always assumed that everything we do or say online or in person is monitored. But these Flock cameras have taken surveillance to a new, dangerous level.
“I see these Flock cameras as a full frontal assault on our privacy, and strongly believe that they must be strictly limited in what they can do, if not eliminated entirely. Horror stories are already proliferating, such as the officers using the system to stalk romantic partners, tracking of peaceful protesters, and nationwide searches related to abortion cases. Welcome to the 21st century! George Jetson never said the future would look like this. But George Orwell did. And if this isn’t Orwellian, I don’t know what is.
“Granted, I fundamentally believe that private companies should have the freedom to innovate and run their businesses as they see fit, and Flock Safety is a private entity utilizing publicly available data. In a truly free market, we cannot simply outlaw a private company from building new technology. However, the real danger here isn’t only from the private company; it’s from the government.
“When local and state governments enter into contracts with private surveillance firms like Flock Safety, they create a dangerous loophole that bypasses our precious constitutional protections. Under the terms of these government agreements, data collected on everyday citizens doesn’t just stay local. Instead, it is funneled into a massive, interconnected network where it can be shared across thousands of jurisdictions and handed over to federal agencies, all without your knowledge, without a warrant, and completely without your consent.
“Worse yet, Pennsylvania has no law that sets the rules for these blatant violations of our privacy. Local police departments and municipalities can make up their own policies when they sign contracts with companies like Flock Safety. That means there are no consistent rules about how long the surveillance data can be retained, who can access or share the data, audit requirements, limits on use, and worse. And according to DeFlock.org, there are literally THOUSANDS of these cameras currently operational in Pennsylvania alone. The cat has already snuck out of the bag.
“Without strong regulation, these cameras become nothing but privatization of the surveillance state, with government using taxpayer dollars to buy its way around the Fourth Amendment, turning local streets into a centralized, national tracking dragnet. And that is repulsive. That’s why I’m calling for an immediate statewide ban on the use of surveillance technology until responsible, controlling, statewide legislation is enacted.
“Given the horror of a budding surveillance state, I’m not surprised to see individual citizens taking matters into their own hands. Social media abounds with stories of citizens disabling, blocking, cutting down, even shooting Flock cameras. While I understand that reasonable people may be goaded into doing unreasonable things, I cannot in clear conscience condemn them. The very idea of being constantly tracked by the government is abhorrent, so the patriotic reaction we’re seeing should surprise no one.
“All that said, the solution isn’t to shoot cameras or over-regulate the development of new technology, but rather to ruthlessly enforce property rights and place strict, unyielding limits on government power. Specifically:
· On the private front: Legally recognize that you own your own likeness and biometric data, meaning it cannot be marketed to anyone ever without your explicit, written permission.
· On the government front: Prohibit any government agency from entering into contracts that allow local citizen data to be shared, pooled, or handed over to any other government entity without a pre-existing, specific, individualized warrant.
· On all fronts: Demand strong audit trails of all uses of Flock cameras and their ilk. These audits must be readily and freely available to the public at large along with the warrants or contracts that authorized their use.
The spirit of the Fourth Amendment demands no less. And since no other candidates are focused on corralling the burgeoning surveillance state, the only way to retain your privacy is to vote Libertarian.
Ken Krawchuk of Abington is an Information Technology entrepreneur, a patented inventor, a Philadelphia talk show host, an award-winning Toastmaster, and an author. He has previously appeared on the gubernatorial ballot three times, facing Tom Ridge in 1998, Ed Rendell in 2002, and Tom Wolf in 2018, setting consecutive Libertarian Party records for vote totals in each race.
John Thomas is a Cyber School educator. He was the Libertarian Party candidate for U.S. Senate in 2024, placing third in a field of five, and receiving more than enough votes to qualify the Libertarians as a political party in Pennsylvania.
Founded in 1971, the Libertarian Party is the third largest political party in the state and the nation, with over 200 elected and appointed officials currently serving in office in Pennsylvania alone, and many more nationwide. Libertarians believe that you have the inalienable right to conduct your life as you see fit, without interference, so long as you respect the rights and property of others. It’s the Golden Rule on a political level.
For more information about the Libertarian Party, the public is invited to contact the Krawchuk/Thomas campaign at KenK4Pa.com, Campaign@KenK4Pa.com, or (224) Krawchuk (224-572-9248), the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania at LpPa.org or (800) R-RIGHTS, or the National Libertarian Party at Lp.org or (202) 333-0008.
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Postscript: To help drive the message home with humor, at the Militia Hill rally Ken delivered the following message to the assembled crowd, verbatim:
“Everyone knows how much I love puns, so on the lighter side—as if there is such a thing when it comes to spying on citizens!—here’s an example of Dad jokes meeting the Fourth Amendment. Brace yourself!
I have some bad news: Pennsylvania is all Flocked up. We’re all Flocked. You, me, everyone; completely Flocked. Our Privacy is Flocked, Flocked without consent, Flocked without a warrant. Flocked from Philly to Erie, from Pittsburgh to Scranton, and Flocked right up the middle, too. Flocked without oversight, without any Flocking laws, Flocking limits, or Flocking regulations, yet all part of a Flocked national surveillance web. This is Flocked up. It’s turned into a Flocking nightmare!
Enough of this Flocking nonsense! Don’t let them Flock us any further. Stop the contracts, stop the sharing, and stop them NOW before we’re all completely Flocked.
If you don’t want to get Flocked again, there’s only one choice: Vote Libertarian. Vote KenK4Pa.com.”