Caroline Haskins

@carolinehaskins.bsky.social

reporter @WIRED.com
[email protected]
785-813-1084
https://www.wired.com/author/caroline-haskins/

@carolinehaskins.bsky.socialReposted by @carolinehaskins.bsky.social

NEW: In recent months, 200+ cities have cancelled their Flock contracts. But how much do its surveillance cameras actually cost? What about its software add-ons? Or its drone program?

I FOIA'ed + researched cities across the country to find out:
www.wired.com/story/how-mu...

wired.comWhat Flock Actually Costs Cities Across the CountryWIRED examined contracts from over two dozen cities and towns that shed light on how Flock’s pricing and business model functions, and how it stacks up against its peers.
@carolinehaskins.bsky.social

NEW: In recent months, 200+ cities have cancelled their Flock contracts. But how much do its surveillance cameras actually cost? What about its software add-ons? Or its drone program?

I FOIA'ed + researched cities across the country to find out:
www.wired.com/story/how-mu...

wired.comWhat Flock Actually Costs Cities Across the CountryWIRED examined contracts from over two dozen cities and towns that shed light on how Flock’s pricing and business model functions, and how it stacks up against its peers.
@couts.bsky.socialReposted by @carolinehaskins.bsky.social

NEW: Flock is offering employees "generous" buyouts as communities across the US push back against the surveillance camera network, @wired.com has learned. @peard33.bsky.social and @dmehro.bsky.social with the scoop: www.wired.com/story/flock-...

wired.comFlock Offers Employees Buyouts as Customers FleeAs dozens of cities end contracts for its controversial license plate readers, Flock is rolling out a voluntary severance program, WIRED has learned.
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@wired.comReposted by @carolinehaskins.bsky.social

Meet the new WIRED app: the best way to read, watch, and listen to our journalism.

To celebrate this launch, we’re giving app users full, free access to WIRED for a limited time. All you need to do is create an account. buff.ly/H3Zt1a5

@dmehro.bsky.socialReposted by @carolinehaskins.bsky.social

NEW: Hackers cut down a Flock camera, dumped its internal storage, and shared the files w/ WIRED and 404 Media. It includes thousands of videos and logs showing how the device took images of 50,000 vehicles in 21 days The code reveals in new detail how Flock tracks the vehicles and people.

wired.comHackers Got Inside a Flock Camera. Its Data Shows How the System Really WorksA hacker collective pulled down a Flock camera and dumped its data. The files included thousands of videos and logs showing that the device captured 1.6 million images of 50,000 vehicles in 21 days.
@ejdickson.bsky.socialReposted by @carolinehaskins.bsky.social

There is a corner of the internet I had never heard of before I started reporting this story.

It’s called the “burnerverse”: a network of anon burner accounts ostensibly discussing college sports. But they have another goal: destroying young girls’ lives.🧵:

www.wired.com/story/burner...

wired.comA College Girl Was Exploited on Camera. A Network of Anonymous Men Got to WorkMaddie Kowalski is one of countless young women who’ve had their lives destroyed by the burnerverse, a loosely connected online community of sports fans. Now she’s fighting back.
@zeyiyang.bsky.socialReposted by @carolinehaskins.bsky.social

Told my mum I wanted to be a scientist at 10; ended up a science journalist. That counts…right?

But hi, I’ll be @nytimes.com’ new China Science Correspondent. If you are a Chinese scientist in China, outside China, on the fence, floating around…I’d love to hear what you are working on!

@carolinehaskins.bsky.social

NEW (& no paywall): One of Flock's biggest selling points is its private search network—but how does it actually work? And how does an ordinary city end up sharing its data with, say, 2,000+ other agencies?

I FOIA'ed Flock customers from around the country to find out:
www.wired.com/story/how-an...

wired.comHow an Atlanta Suburb Ended Up Sharing Flock Data With More Than 2,000 OrganizationsAlpharetta, Georgia, cops share data with thousands of Flock users, ranging from federal agencies to a fish and wildlife commission. The reasons why show how vast—and invasive—the network has become.
@carolinehaskins.bsky.social

New: A recent Flock misuse investigation led to the resignation of a Georgia police officer.

I got the investigation files via public record request. They reveal that he used Flock to monitor 2 fellow cops—one was his former fling, the other was her friend:
www.wired.com/story/a-geor...

wired.comA Georgia Cop Used Flock to Track 2 Other Cops: His Ex and Her FriendAfter an affair with a fellow police officer ended, a Georgia cop used Flock to track her movements—and those of a man whose vehicle often showed up near hers, internal investigation records show.
@carolinehaskins.bsky.social

You've probably heard about the horrifying phenomenon of students making AI-generated nudes + sexual content of their underage peers.

Unfortunately, there's a whole other set of victims of this harassment: Teachers.

Several of them told me their stories:
www.wired.com/story/teache...

wired.comThey Dedicated Their Lives to Teaching. Then the Deepfakes StartedThe deepfake epidemic in schools is affecting more than students. Four teachers tell WIRED about becoming targets of sexualized, AI-generated content—and how difficult it was to find accountability.
@carolinehaskins.bsky.social

SCOOP: On Flock's YouTube page, there are dozens of videos touting the work of police departments that use its license plate readers.

Four of them have since faced allegations of misusing Flock's technology:
www.wired.com/story/flock-...

wired.comFlock Highlighted Police Departments Using Its Tech. Now 4 Face Allegations of MisuseFlock posted videos on its YouTube channel highlighting at least four police departments whose officers have faced allegations of misusing the company’s tech.
@carolinehaskins.bsky.social

Steve Eimers, aka The Guardrail Guy, is known for his videos that about faulty guardrails & the risk they pose to drivers

He recently began posting about Flock cameras & ALPRs. He’s not anymore. Why? Someone began destroying cameras he’d recently posted about:
www.wired.com/story/flock-...

wired.comHe Went Viral for Posting About Flock Cameras. Then Someone Destroyed ThemSteve Elmers, also known as the “Guardrail Guy,” is done calling out license plate readers after two that appeared in his videos were vandalized.
@carolinehaskins.bsky.social

NEW w/ @telliotter.bsky.social: ICE renewed its contract to buy data from Thomson Reuters at an upped rate of $25 million/year

Now, ICE says, it has an urgent, “multiplied” need for data to ID “unaccompanied minors” and anyone involved with “fraud of government funds":
www.wired.com/story/ice-un...

wired.comICE Is Using Data Broker Tools to ‘Identify Unaccompanied Minors’ and ‘Fraud’A newly renewed, $25 million-per-year contract with a subsidiary of Thompson Reuters further expands the power of ICE under the Trump administration.
@carolinehaskins.bsky.social

NEW: As resistance to data centers grows, I noticed some interesting convos happening online.... electricians are debating whether wiring data centers is morally neutral, or if it makes you a sell-out.

To learn more, I spoke with electricians engaged in this debate:
www.wired.com/story/data-c...

wired.comSome Electricians Think Building Data Centers Is for SelloutsBig Tech is throwing big money into data center buildouts. As national opposition to the facilities grows, some workers are beginning to question whether it’s worth it.
@carolinehaskins.bsky.social

As I observed the news cycle about the mysterious men going in + out of manholes throughout nyc....I couldn't help but wonder....are they actually groups of content creators getting material for TikTok?

I looked into it.... My investigation:
www.wired.com/story/new-yo...

wired.com‘Doo Doo Water and a Few Needles’: Inside the Mystery of the New York City Manhole ProwlersAn “urban explorer” tells WIRED their mother checked in to make sure they weren’t one of the people seen scurrying out of a manhole with their friends.
@carolinehaskins.bsky.social

POV, cont.: You email a guy in Norse's C-suite, & your refund starts getting processed. You also FOIA the FTC.

You get a response. People described losing thousands after failing to reach Norse, & getting targeted by scammers while trying 🧵3/3

Read the story here:
www.wired.com/story/norse-...

wired.comNorse Atlantic Airways Offers Dirt-Cheap Tickets. There’s a CatchDozens of people have complained to the Federal Trade Commission about Norse Atlantic Airways’ tech-first customer service operation. Some said they lost thousands of dollars.
@carolinehaskins.bsky.social

After a weird experience with Norse Atlantic Airways a few weeks ago, I decided to file a FOIA request to the FTC

Ends up, dozens have complained about Norse. It has no phone #, and its customer service relies on AI

It’s a perfect situation for scammers:
www.wired.com/story/norse-...

wired.comNorse Atlantic Airways Offers Dirt-Cheap Tickets. There’s a CatchDozens of people have complained to the Federal Trade Commission about Norse Atlantic Airways’ tech-first customer service operation. Some said they lost thousands of dollars.
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