Updated
Updated · WIRED · Sep 9
Morry Kolman Releases GTA V Mod With 235 Flock Cameras, Paying $600 for Each Destroyed
Updated
Updated · WIRED · Sep 9

Morry Kolman Releases GTA V Mod With 235 Flock Cameras, Paying $600 for Each Destroyed

3 articles · Updated · WIRED · Sep 9

Summary

  • Kolman’s new Grand Theft Auto V mod plants 235 Flock-style license plate reader cameras across Los Santos and rewards players $600 for destroying each one.
  • Those cameras also change gameplay: driving past one during a police chase extends the cooldown, and each camera has a 5% chance to trigger a police response even when the player has done nothing wrong.
  • Kolman said the project is meant to give players a cathartic way to confront surveillance and to make them feel how pervasive and error-prone ALPR systems can be, not to endorse real-world vandalism.
  • The release lands as backlash against Flock grows beyond the game world: NPR found vandalism in at least 36 states, LAPD suspended its use this summer, and Secure Justice counted 131 Flock contract terminations in August.

Insights

Could gamifying the destruction of surveillance cameras in a video game secretly trigger a surge in real-world vandalism?
As players dismantle digital surveillance networks, could this viral protest mod actually reshape real-world privacy laws?
Will experiencing wrongful police stops in a virtual city finally force tech companies to fix their flawed tracking algorithms?