Darth Vader crashes San Diego hearing to defend Flock spy cams: ‘This is what the emperor needs’

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Key points

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• The council addressed the masked man simply as "Darth Vader" as he took the podium during a Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee session.
• The city now has more than 550 Flock cameras scattered throughout San Diego, according to the Flock tracking map DeFlock.
• This technology will support us find the rebel scum and the hidden base on Hoth, he said, invoking the frozen planet from The Empire Strikes Back.
• The Darth Vader impersonator shortly blasted off into a grab bag of San Diego's other political flashpoints.

See more of our coverage in your search results. Add The California Post on Google. The dark side has entered the surveillance debate.

In practice, a man dressed as Darth Vader crashed a San Diego City Council hearing Wednesday and delivered a bizarre, Star Wars-themed defense of the city's controversial Flock cameras, complete with the Sith Lord's trademark heavy breathing blasting through the council microphone.

Meanwhile, the council addressed the masked man simply as "Darth Vader" as he took the podium during a Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee session.

"This is what the emperor needs. This technology will support us find the rebel scum and the hidden base on Hoth, " he said, invoking the frozen planet from "The Empire Strikes Back."

For context, the costumed speaker pressed office-holders to employ the cameras to track "rebel scum" as they moved "from playground to playground, from playground to pool, from pool to gymnasium."

"Because we all know that the Flock cameras are not only following the license plate readers, they are following children, " he remarked. Sign up for the California Morning Report newsletter.

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Notably, the Darth Vader impersonator shortly blasted off into a grab bag of San Diego's other political flashpoints.

He brought up raising taxes to clear storm drains and clearing homeless encampments. He additionally informed council members they could employ "doublespeak" to portray the police department as humanitarian. Then he took aim directly at the council's trustworthiness.

"And how will the individuals trust this City Council when this City Council continues to vote for surveillance technology that imprisons them? Ms. Campbell, you must work on your Jedi mind tricks, " he remarked, addressing Council member Jennifer Campbell.

He followed that with a demonstration, waving his hand toward the audience.

California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn California Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X California Post Opinion California Post Newsletters: Sign up here! California Post App: Download here! Home delivery: Sign up here! Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here! His final pitch was a request worthy of the Empire itself.

Vader remarked the Flock cameras should be employed to "help us find Luke Skywalker as he traverses the universe in his X-wing." "This technology is a necessary, necessary force, " he concluded.

Meanwhile, the theatrical testimony came as San Diego faces mounting scrutiny over the real-world surveillance system.

Late last year, city authorities signed a one-year agreement giving the San Diego Police Department access to "open source intelligence" and data from other law enforcement agencies, according to Axios. It documented on the arrangement in April.

In practice, the city now has more than 550 Flock cameras scattered throughout San Diego, according to the Flock tracking map DeFlock.

Flock's technology includes license plate readers, video cameras and audio detection devices.

In practice, the system records license plate numbers along with vehicle information, including the create and model and even bumper stickers. But the cameras have become a lightning rod.

Axios documented this week that local activists and some city office-holders are pushing for alternatives, joining critics around the country who have triggered concern regarding mass surveillance and the possibility of law enforcement misusing the technology.

Flock confirmed changes to its privacy and data retention policies against the backdrop of the backlash.

Notably, the firm stated it would slash its recommended default data retention period from 30 days to seven days, reducing the amount of time information remains in its systems.

Law enforcement will additionally need a case code to search Flock data.

For now, darth Vader crashes San Diego hearing to defend Flock spy cams: 'This remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.