A man dressed as Darth Vader spoke in favor of Flock Safety automated license plate readers at a San Diego city council meeting this week, a stunt that comes as the company faces growing backlash over spying concerns. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.

The man, whose real identity remains unknown, appeared on Thursday at a San Diego public safety committee meeting dressed as the Star Wars villain.

"The emperor is a fan of Flock," the man said, though he portrayed the surveillance hardware in an ominous light. "We must continue utilizing Flock technologies so that we can follow and surveil the rebel scum as they move from playground to playground, from playground to pool, from pool to gymnasium," he continued.

The man also said the cameras could be used for nefarious purposes such as tracking children and stalking a former romantic partner. (A Louisiana sheriff's deputy was fired recently for using Flock's system to track his ex-fiancee's car more than 3,000 times, Guardian reporting partner WWL Louisiana reported).

Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based company, touts its technology as an aid to law enforcement, highlighting achievements on its website such as tracking missing people and recovering stolen vehicles.

San Diego city council members voted in December to continue using Flock's camera system.

Recent blunders, however, have cast scrutiny on the technology. In San Diego, a man spent a month behind bars after a Flock license plate reader falsely linked him to an attempted violent carjacking, according to the Times of San Diego.

As of August 2026, about 100 municipalities have deactivated, canceled or rejected contracts with Flock, according to the grassroots group DeFlock.

Some critics have taken matters into their own hands, undergoing vigilante-esque missions to dismantle or destroy the cameras. An Ohio man was arrested for allegedly damaging a Flock camera, but a grand jury recently declined to indict him on felony vandalism charges.

In August, Flock announced new policies aimed at curbing misuse of its system, including a mandate for law enforcement agencies to adopt an audit assistance feature in its system by the end of the year, although some legal experts described the accountability measures as insufficient.