Sometimes, it's better to let a source speak for themselves rather than to do it for them. A creator on the 3D-printer platform called Makerworld who goes by the handle SquidInk has published an item they call a Flock Sock. Get yours in a carbon fiber pattern, and it'll run you $20.99. You're probably wondering what exactly a Flock Sock is about. According to the listing, it's just an innocent, protective cover. Squidink says it's "...designed to help protect a Flock camera from the harmful radiation of the sun." The creator goes on to add, "Your city spent their very own hard-earned tax dollars scattering these cameras everywhere to keep you safe; all it cost you was a little privacy. The very least you can do is help protect these valuable civil servants from getting a bad sunburn."

First, the hard-earned dollars aren't hard-earned by your municipality. You, the taxpayer, would be the source of said funding. And though we know that both conservative and liberal states are now uniting in their hate of Flock cameras, they're still out there, scanning 20 billion license plates a month across 5,000 law enforcement agencies. Civic uproar over their existence has led to contract cancelations by major cities, such as one police department in Denver. That could be because we're now learning that Flock cameras are collecting way more data about us than just our car's plate number. As for how a Flock Sock can be deployed, let's explore that further.

Socking it to Flock, with a broomstick

Aaron of L.A. Photography/Shutterstock

You might interpret the handle "Squidink" as a not-very-subtle implication that the maker wants to blind Flock cameras. Of course, they carefully couch what they're making as protective and removable. The Sock "slides over the top [of the camera] in seconds using any standard one-inch (25.4mm) pole or broomstick. Gravity will do the rest," they write in their product description.

But they do imply that your intent may in fact be malicious, noting that the Flock Sock is an alternative to harming, "...the structural integrity of your car at high velocity," or deploying a chainsaw. We'd interpret these words to mean that Squidink wants to give you an alternative to resorting to violence. And in part, they're saying that the Flock Sock is a decent alternative to Flock camera vandalism, too. They tout the solution as "100% non-permanent," since sliding one overtop, glove-like, doesn't require modifying the camera itself, and it's not going to cause more than annoyance to any employee of your city. "Because it pops off instantly with absolutely no damage caused and costs exactly $0 to revert," Squidink claims in their listing, "it conveniently avoids some of the troublesome labels that Uncle Sam might stick to you."

Squidink recommends that you print yours out of ABS to resist UV and heat. But they do mention that if you print your sock out of polylactic acid (PLA) the material may soften in the sun and conform to the shape of the camera.

Accessorize your Flock Sock to make deployment easier.

To be clear, what Squidink has done is create a printer file. We are not lawyers, but we don't think that's a crime — though your mileage (and civil code) will definitely vary. And it's not clear what authorities might do to you — forget the progenitor of this device — if you're caught in the dark of night dangling a black doohickey 15 feet in the air in an attempt to blind a Flock camera with what you're creatively calling a "sock."  (Yes, by the way, the file does include the information to also print the handy bracket that allows you to attach the cover to the end of a broomstick.)

And even if you do manage to get to court, you could use as your defense the notion you're carrying out your civic duty by blinding Flock cameras so the infrastructure will be removed, thereby reducing the risk that these poles — not the cameras themselves — pose to the public. Because, if you don't know this part, the way Flock cameras are mounted is a violation of highway safety standards. One could also argue that these cameras are not just endangering citizenry by potentially getting someone killed in a case of mistaken identity, but that their existence is literally (potentially) deadly because they're improperly deployed infrastructure. And good luck with all that, because Big Brother isn't a friend of yours. And Squidink, whoever you are, good luck to you as well.