In this episode of Unbuffered, Chris sits down with independent reporter Daniel Boguslaw to explore the growing friction between technology, privacy, and local governance. 

The conversation centers on Flock Safety—a network of automated license plate readers and surveillance cameras—and how it has sparked a nationwide debate over corporate surveillance, national databases, and civil liberties.

Chris and Daniel begin by exploring what Flock actually is—beyond simple traffic cameras—and how its centralized, network-wide license plate tracking creates massive databases of human movement. 

They examine how private surveillance data is increasingly bought, repackaged, and utilized by federal agencies to bypass constitutional protections, enabling broader dragnet tracking and political intimidation.

From there, the conversation turns to the growing grassroots resistance to mass surveillance. Daniel and Chris discuss how citizens across the political spectrum are exercising local civic power through city councils to cancel Flock contracts and reject ungoverned technology in their communities.

Finally, Chris and Daniel tackle the false choice between total surveillance and public safety, contrasting high-tech dragnet systems like Flock and ShotSpotter with proven, trust-building community policing strategies.

Throughout the episode, Chris and Daniel connect these local battles to broader questions about civil liberties, corporate power, and how everyday people can reclaim control over the technology in their lives.

This show is 55 minutes long and can be played on this page or via Apple Podcasts or the tool of your choice using this feed. 

You can also check out the video version via YouTube.

Transcript below.

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes (formerly Community Broadband Bits) or view all episodes in our index. See other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Thanks to Whitedrift for the song Operator, licensed Creative Commons Attribution (3.0).

In this episode of the podcast, we welcome back Sascha Meinrath for a timely and urgent conversation about surveillance, digital infrastructure, and the growing tension between connectivity and civil liberties.

Sascha explores how modern broadband networks are increasingly intertwined with systems of data extraction, monitoring, and behavioral tracking. 

The conversation digs into how surveillance operates at multiple levels: through corporate data collection, government monitoring, and emerging technologies that blur the line between public safety and privacy intrusion.

This episode challenges us to think beyond speed and access, and to grapple with what kind of digital future we are actually building.

If communities are investing in digital infrastructure, Sascha argues, they must also ask: Who controls the data? Who benefits? And who is being watched?

This show is 44 minutes long and can be played on this page or via Apple Podcasts or the tool of your choice using this feed. 

You can also check out the video version via YouTube.

Transcript below.

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes or view all episodes in our index. See other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Thanks to Arne Huseby for the music. The song is Warm Duck Shuffle and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license