Countermeasures and Pushback Against Flock and Axon Surveillance: Tested Vehicle Camouflage and Seattle Budget Vote

A printed vehicle-camouflage pattern reportedly fools Flock license-plate recognition software and Axon body cameras, though its broader effectiveness is questioned; in Seattle, an activist dressed as Doctor Doom urged the council to curb Axon/Flock…

Two reports converge on growing resistance to the Flock and Axon surveillance ecosystem. Schneier on Security (2026-09-07) describes printed car-covering patterns designed to fool Flock automated license-plate recognition (ALPR) software, with testing reportedly done against Flock cameras and Axon body cameras. Reader comments cast doubt on whether the camouflage works against ALPR vendors other than Flock, note Flock's RF MAC-address upgrade as a potential countermeasure, and observe that the legal status of anti-surveillance vehicle patterns remains unclear. 404 Media (2026-09-09) reports on political pushback in Seattle: Clifford Cawthon, a policy advisor at the Washington State Department of Commerce, appeared at a Seattle Public Safety Committee meeting in costume as Doctor Doom to protest expanding mass surveillance. He criticized Seattle PD's access to 62 cameras feeding an Axon real-time crime center that ingests CCTV, body camera, geolocation, ALPR, and dispatch data from vendors including Axon and Flock. His group, Community Not Cameras, submitted a petition with five demands, and the committee has already voted to move $250,000 away from CCTV expansion (to community programs), pending full council approval; activists cite data sharing with ICE, the military, and police misuse of surveillance data. The sources cover different facets of the same vendor ecosystem and do not contradict each other, but the camouflage's effectiveness beyond Flock and Axon hardware is unverified.

• A printed vehicle-camouflage pattern was tested against Flock automated license-plate recognition software and Axon body cameras, per Schneier on Security (2026-09-07).
• Commenters question whether the camouflage works against ALPR vendors other than Flock; Flock's RF MAC-address upgrade is cited as a possible detection countermeasure.
• The legal/regulatory status of anti-surveillance vehicle camouflage patterns is unclear, per reader discussion on Schneier on Security.
• Clifford Cawthon, a policy advisor at the Washington State Department of Commerce, appeared at a Seattle Public Safety Committee meeting in costume as Doctor Doom (404 Media, 2026-09-09).
• Seattle PD has access to 62 cameras feeding an Axon real-time crime center that ingests CCTV, body camera, geolocation, ALPR, and dispatch data from vendors including Axon and Flock.
• Community Not Cameras submitted a petition with five demands to Seattle's council.
• A Seattle committee voted to redirect $250,000 away from CCTV expansion (to community programs), pending full council approval.
• Activists cite data sharing with ICE, the military, and police misuse of surveillance data as grounds for curbing the program.