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Flock ignored a city's order to cancel its cameras
Plymouth's city council voted to end the contract in September, and police eventually unplugged sixteen permanent cameras themselves; the vendor still hadn't replied.
On air: Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield on The BBN Weekend MatineePublished
Photo: KneeHallHawk · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBNWatch it as it aired: Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield on this story, from The BBN Weekend Matinee at 4:19 PM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are The Verge's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by The Verge: “Flock keeps ignoring requests to cancel its contracts”, with reporting from The Drive, Star Tribune and CBS Minnesota.
- Covered on BBN on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 4:19 PM ET on The BBN Weekend Matinee, by Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield.
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
- The VergeFlock keeps ignoring requests to cancel its contracts
- The DriveMy City Canceled Flock's Contract. Flock Ignored It, So the Police Chief Unplugged the Cameras facts used on air
- Star TribuneThe Minnesota communities rethinking their use of Flock cameras facts used on air
- CBS MinnesotaPlymouth City Council votes to terminate contract with Flock - CBS Minnesota facts used on air
What BBN said about it
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentPlymouth, Minnesota voted on September twenty-second to cancel its Flock contract, and Flock never answered the request.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSo the city said stop, and the company left it on read.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentFor over a month the cameras stayed up, according to The Verge. The council vote wasn't close either, the mayor was the only one against.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentWhat did they do?
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentThe police chief had the power cords physically disconnected. Sixteen permanent cameras and two portable ones, and the cancellation method that worked was unplugging.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentThat's the only unsubscribe button that's ever worked.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentSixteen cameras that watch everything, and the only thing they couldn't see coming was a cord.
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Photo: Coolcaesar · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Photographer: Lukasz Kobus (European · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Ka Kit Pang · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: US gov · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
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Photo: Gary Chancey · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Sunday, November 1, 2026 · the Tech archive · all months
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