At the San Diego City Council’s most recent budget meeting, Sith Lord Darth Vader had some points to make. Between gasping breaths, Vader praised the council’s recent votes to renew its contract with the surveillance company Flock Safety, which has been making headlines recently as more and more stories of police officers abusing its tools have continued to come out—and as a WIRED review of code for a new AI tool already in use by some police departments has made clear that it is watching far more than just license plates.
\n\n“The emperor is a fan of Flock. And we must continue utilizing Flock technologies so that we can follow and surveil the rebel scum as they move from playground to playground, from playground to pool, from pool to gymnasium.”
\n\nThe recording of the video has gone viral, reaching millions of people on TikTok and Instagram.
\n\nThe man behind the stunt is Anthony Ralphs, a San Diego-based DJ, event producer, and agriculture consultant who has spent the better part of the past year advocating against the city’s support of Flock’s use by the San Diego Police Department.
\n\nInitially, Ralphs thought about keeping his identity hidden behind the Vader mask—a 2004…
Original source: https://www.wired.com/