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A man dressed as Darth Vader mocked San Diego's use of Flock Safety license plate readers during a public safety committee meeting.

A man dressed as Darth Vader mocked San Diego's use of Flock Safety license plate readers during a public safety committee meeting. The man, whose real identity remains unknown, portrayed the surveillance hardware in an ominous light, joking that the emperor would use the technology to track 'rebel scum' across various locations. While the man poked fun at the city's surveillance, the technology faces growing scrutiny. San Diego city council members voted to continue using the system in December, but critics have raised concerns regarding potential spying and misuse. For example, a man in San Diego spent a month in jail after a system error falsely linked him to a carjacking. Additionally, the company has faced backlash for being used to track personal interests, such as a sheriff's deputy who tracked his ex-fiancee's car over 3,000 times. To address these concerns, Flock Safety announced new policies to curb system misuse, including a mandate for law enforcement to adopt an audit assistance feature by the end of the year.

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