So, the geniuses running our cities thought it was a swell idea to plaster the streets with Flock cameras. What could possibly go wrong? Turns out, quite a bit. These license plate readers, peddled by some Georgia-based company, are causing a ruckus from California to New York. Who could have seen that coming?

Dunwoody, Georgia, is the latest epicenter of this clown show. Residents are rightfully losing their minds over the city's contract with Flock Safety. Why? Oh, just a minor detail like the company quietly removing language from their terms of service promising not to own or sell your data. Classic bait-and-switch.

And let's not forget the videos of hackers gleefully strolling through live video feeds from these cameras. Turns out, securing your data is hard. Who knew? But hey, at least the criminals are having fun, right?

Some Dunwoody resident named Joe Hirsh had the audacity to suggest that the police might be a tad too trusting of Flock Safety. The nerve! Apparently, expecting law enforcement to do their own research is just too much to ask. Better to just blindly trust whatever a vendor tells you. Safe bet.

Flock Group Inc.'s PR flack, Kerry McCormack, insists that they don't own or sell the data. Sure, Jan. But here's the kicker: their clients DO own the data, and they can do whatever they want with it. So, basically, Flock is just a middleman in the data-selling operation. How convenient.

And speaking of clients, Councilwoman Catherine Lautenbacher had the brilliant idea of asking what would happen if ICE wanted to snoop around. Turns out, ICE could probably get their hands on the data pretty easily. So much for protecting illegal immigrants, amirite?

Dunwoody is now “deferring” the contract renewal. Translation: they're scrambling to cover their asses after realizing they screwed up big time. But hey, at least they already dumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into this surveillance boondoggle. No refunds!

Meanwhile, other cities are either shutting down their cameras or trying to negotiate better deals. Good luck with that. You're dealing with a company that already pulled a fast one on you. What makes you think they'll play fair now?

Some YouTuber guy, Benn Jordan, is asking questions. Bless his heart. But let's be honest, the fix is probably already in. The surveillance state is here to stay, and there's not much we can do about it except meme about it.