The ‘Guardrail Guy’ Went Viral for Posting About Flock Cameras. Then Someone Destroyed Them
A social media advocate for road safety began posting about the potential dangers of automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) installed near guardrails. His content sparked a viral debate regarding mass surveillance, leading to calls for vandalism against the camera infrastructure.
Why it matters
The intersection of infrastructure safety and public privacy concerns highlights the growing tension between municipal surveillance technology and citizen pushback.
In April, Eimers began posting about another hallmark of American roads: automatic license plate readers (ALPRs).
ALPRs, sold by companies like Flock and Axon, use mounted cameras to capture vehicular data, which can be used to track people suspected of committing crimes. Eimers expanded his safety advocacy because he believes ALPRs may pose serious risks to passengers in the event of a crash. His claim is that many ALPRs are installed too close to guardrails, which undermines their functionality, or are placed on existing road signs, which can negate the ability of “breakaway” posts to function safely upon impact.
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