The Free Press/X
The Free Press has come under fire for apparently supporting Flock Safety’s license plate readers amid concerns that such surveillance technology infringes on the rights of Americans.
The outlet was founded by Bari Weiss and was later acquired by Paramount Skydance as part of a deal in which she became editor-in-chief of CBS News.
The Daily Caller shredded The Free Press for the deal. “Ever feel like you’re being watched? You might be right,” The Free Press wrote on X. “But Flock Safety cameras aren’t interested in you—unless you’re a kidnapper, a thief, or up to no good.”
As The Daily Caller also noted, more than 100,000 Flock Safety cameras have been installed in “thousands of communities across the US.”
The site also explains:
The cameras are automated license plate readers (ALPRs) that photograph every passing vehicle, regardless of whether its driver is suspected of a crime. In addition to license plates, they record distinguishing features such as bumper stickers, roof racks, and dashboard items … The cameras are automated license plate readers (ALPRs) that photograph every passing vehicle, regardless of whether its driver is suspected of a crime. In addition to license plates, they record distinguishing features such as bumper stickers, roof racks, and dashboard items.
The Caller spoke with Andreia Trifoi, Staff Attorney at the New Civil Liberties Alliance, who explained, “Automatic license plate readers allow the government to assemble a detailed record of people’s movements, with minimal effort and without any requirement of prior suspicion. This search-first, justify-later model amounts to dragnet surveillance, and it poses a serious threat to Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights.”
Adam Johnson, co-host of The Citations Needed podcast, also shared The Free Press’ original post announcing the deal on X. He commented, “you’ll be shocked to learn Flock’s biggest investor is Andreessen Horowitz who is also an early seed investor in Free Press (both in 2021) which is oddly not disclosed in this segment.”
The post Conservative Outlet Hammers Bari Weiss’s Free Press For ‘Shilling For the Surveillance Industry’ first appeared on Mediaite.
