A tattoo shop owner in Michigan has offered potential customers a free tattoo if they bring in a Flock camera.
Flock cameras are Automated License Plate Readers made by Flock Safety, a private for-profit technology company. Flock cameras use AI to record and log data such as license plates, make, model, or color.
The cameras are very unpopular because they track and log people’s movements, regardless of if they are a criminal suspect or not. This has led to the owner of a tattoo shop in New Baltimore, Michigan to make a unique offer to potential customers.
He said more than 2 million people have seen the post
Steven Jean, owner of The Alien Body Shop, made a post on Instagram. In the post, he can be seen wielding a Flock camera. The text reads: “Free tattoo with every Flock camera.”
As per CBS News, Jean said it was intended as a form of satirical entertainment, but some of the two million people who have seen it have taken it completely seriously. “I’ve had people send me pictures of damaged Flock cameras, videos of themselves damaging Flock cameras,” Jean said.
He also revealed that someone contacted him to tell him that they had been arrested for vandalizing a Flock camera. Nevertheless, he has warned people not to take it literally.
“Please do not bring Flock cameras to my shop! It’s all about obeying the law and having a good time,” he said.
For more on Flock cameras, check out our coverage of the viral Halloween ‘De-Flock’ campaign, or the new website that lets drivers check whether their license plate has been searched on the Flock database.
