A Camera Watched the Playground. So Could Anyone With a Browser.

We teach our kids to be careful around strangers. We watch them at the park. We pick the route to school. So it’s worth knowing exactly what the camera on the corner can see — and who else can see through it.

In late 2025, independent researchers found at least 60 of Flock’s AI cameras sitting wide open on the internet — no password, no encryption — streaming live and storing 30 days of video that anyone could pull up in a browser. In some cases, outsiders could even reach the admin controls. (404 Media; Straight Arrow News)

The playground

Among those open feeds were unattended children on a playground. The technologist who found it, Benn Jordan, said that one hit him hardest: the playground feed showed “unattended kids, and that’s something I want people to know about so they can understand how dangerous this is.” (Straight Arrow News)

These weren’t license-plate readers pointed at the road. The Flock “Condor” model is built to track people — using AI to pan, tilt, and zoom in on whoever walks into frame. And because the video was unencrypted, anyone watching could try to put a name to a face by running plates or images through public lookup tools. (404 Media)

This wasn’t a one-time glitch

A month earlier, the same researchers documented 51 security findings in Flock’s cameras — 22 serious enough to receive official vulnerability IDs (CVEs). (Privacy Guides) Separately, lawmakers warned that stolen police logins were exposing the camera network to hackers, and asked the FTC to investigate Flock’s security. (TechCrunch)

In fairness, Flock called the exposed-camera incident “a limited misconfiguration on a very small number of devices” that had “since been remedied.” (Straight Arrow News) But a system that can be left this open once can be left open again — and it’s pointed at the places our children play.

It isn’t only hackers. It’s whoever holds the login.

Even when the cameras work exactly as designed, the people with access don’t always behave. This year a Milwaukee police officer was charged after using Flock to run 179 personal searches tracking a romantic partner and her ex. (Urban Milwaukee) A Kansas police chief reportedly used plate-reader systems more than 160 times to stalk his ex-wife. (EFF) Now picture that same standing access aimed at the cameras near your child’s school.

What this means for your family

The cameras near our schools, parks, and playgrounds quietly build a record of your family’s routine — the morning route, the after-practice stop, the weekend at the park, who picks the kids up and when. That record can be searched without a warrant, shared with agencies far outside New Hanover County, exposed by a security lapse, or misused by one person with a login. Your child did nothing wrong. Neither did you. That’s exactly the point.

We teach our kids not to talk to strangers. We shouldn’t have to wonder which strangers are watching them through a government camera.

What you can do today

• Sign the petition to get Flock cameras out of Wilmington and New Hanover County.
• Email your county commissioners — tell them you do not consent to your children being tracked and exposed.
• Share this with another parent. The fastest way to stop it is more voices at the next meeting.

Sources

• Straight Arrow News — “Flock camera captured kids on a playground. A security failure exposed them online” (Dec 22, 2025)
• 404 Media — “Flock Exposed Its AI-Powered Cameras to the Internet”
• Privacy Guides — 51 vulnerabilities / 22 CVEs (Nov 17, 2025)
• TechCrunch — stolen police logins exposing cameras (Nov 3, 2025)
• Urban Milwaukee — officer charged over 179 personal Flock searches (Feb 25, 2026)
• EFF — “The Human Toll of ALPR Errors”