SASSI South
@sassisouth.bsky.social
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We are Southerners Against Surveillance Systems & Infrastructure. sassisouth.org
[email protected]
Flock Safety Update While organizers won a cancellation of Austin's contract with Flock this year, it looks like Flock might still be active in Austin via the Austin Housing Authority. Flock is listed in the 2025 budget from this 10/17/2024 meeting:
www.hacanet.org/wp-content/u...
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https://www.hacanet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241017-HACA-Packet.pdf
about 17 hours ago
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SASSI South
The Final Straw Radio
2 days ago
This week, we’re sharing two segments: A chat with Palestinian writer and assistant professor
@hamayel.bsky.social
; Plus a segment of the October 2025 B(A)D News with network participants discussing thinking through resisting the rise of fascism
thefinalstrawradio.noblogs.org/post/2025/11...
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SASSI South
Interrupting Criminalization
5 days ago
For people who are interested in and working to develop abolitionist interventions and groups to help keep each other safe, we have a new resource that aims to help demystify a few things about how we create these organizations and formations, and how we sustain them. Read it here:
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Loving and Protecting Us — Interrupting Criminalization
A resource for people interested in and working to develop abolitionist crisis response rooted in transformative justice. This offering aims to help demystify a few things about how we develop, think ...
https://www.interruptingcriminalization.com/resources-all/loving-and-protecting-us
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For the nerds out there, some serious Flock Safety security vulnerabilities:
github.com/GainSec/anti...
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GitHub - GainSec/anti-crime-ecosystem-research: Independent research white paper by Jon “GainSec” Gaines examining the security posture of a connected public safety technology ecosystem.
Independent research white paper by Jon “GainSec” Gaines examining the security posture of a connected public safety technology ecosystem. - GainSec/anti-crime-ecosystem-research
https://github.com/GainSec/anti-crime-ecosystem-research
6 days ago
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SASSI South
404 Media
8 days ago
NEW: Senator
@wyden.senate.gov
says AI-camera company Flock is violating federal law by not enforcing multi-factor authentication. 404 Media previously found Flock credentials included in infostealer infections.
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Flock Logins Exposed In Malware Infections, Senator Asks FTC to Investigate the Company
Senator Ron Wyden says AI-camera company Flock is violating federal law by not enforcing multi-factor authentication. 404 Media previously found Flock credentials included in infostealer infections.
https://www.404media.co/flock-logins-exposed-in-malware-infections-senator-asks-ftc-to-investigate-the-company/
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SASSI South
The Final Straw Radio
9 days ago
Ed, co-founder of
@sassisouth.bsky.social
(Southerners Against Surveillance Systems & Infrastructure), speaks to The Final Straw Radio about the proliferation of surveillance infrastructure in the South (and more broadly in United States).
thefinalstrawradio.noblogs.org/post/2025/11...
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âť—Flock Safety Update âť— According to a public records request, the Greensboro Police Department no longer has a contract with Flock Safety as of 9/30. That's not the end of Flock in Greensboro, though. What did the Greensboro Police Department say when asked about Flock? đź‘€ đź§µ
11 days ago
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SASSI South
MediaJustice
14 days ago
Join us,
@fightforthefuture.org
,
@sassisouth.bsky.social
,
@eos-nola.bsky.social
, and more in an amazing line-up of community organizers TOMORROW to fight against facial recognition and other racist
#surveillance
#tech
. It's not too late to register:
fftf.link/nola
add a skeleton here at some point
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SASSI South
Fight for the Future
14 days ago
TEACH-IN alert 🛠️!! Tomorrow at 7ET we’re joining
@stepuplouisiana.bsky.social
@sassisouth.bsky.social
& other NOLA community voices united in the fight against racist tech to discuss what it means to build safe communities that reject the lie of surveillance = safety. RSVP👉http://fftf.link/nola
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SASSI South
Hypervisible
17 days ago
“This is an assault on our democracy and right to free speech, powered by the algorithm and paid for with our tax dollars.”
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ICE is building a social media panopticon
ICE is ramping up efforts to monitor people online.
https://www.theverge.com/policy/806425/ice-social-media-surveillance-free-speech-assault
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Update on our research into police surveillance technologies across Texas.
17 days ago
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Come through to this digital teach-in to learn about real time facial recognition use in New Orleans and how you can resist in your city. 10.29 at 6pm CT Hosted by Eye on Surveillance
18 days ago
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SASSI South
Jaime Omar Yassin [TNH]
21 days ago
Flock's director of public affairs is a former AIPAC lobbyist for some reason. It's like the Cylons hiring Darth Vader as spokesperson.
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Hypervisible
26 days ago
Legion of Doom to partner with the Sinister Six.
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Amazon's Ring to partner with Flock, a network of AI cameras used by ICE, feds, and police | TechCrunch
Agencies that use Flock can request that Ring doorbell users share footage to help with "evidence collection and investigative work."
https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/16/amazons-ring-to-partner-with-flock-a-network-of-ai-cameras-used-by-ice-feds-and-police/
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The Texas Department of Public Safety has a rather large contract with Flock Safety: "The total Not-to-Exceed for this contract is $27,388,302.50."
26 days ago
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From
@wyden.senate.gov
, “Abuse of Flock cameras is inevitable, and Flock has made it clear it takes no responsibility to prevent or detect that. For that reason, I must now recommend that communities that have installed Flock cameras reevaluate that decision.”
www.404media.co/ice-secret-s...
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ICE, Secret Service, Navy All Had Access to Flock's Nationwide Network of Cameras
Flock has built a nationwide surveillance network of AI-powered cameras and given many more federal agencies access. Senator Ron Wyden told Flock “abuses of your product are not only likely but inevit...
https://www.404media.co/ice-secret-service-navy-all-had-access-to-flocks-nationwide-network-of-cameras/
26 days ago
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🔥 Another one! Who is keeping count? Hays County, TX voted to end their Flock contract! 🔥
www.fox7austin.com/news/hays-co...
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Hays County ends all contracts with Flock Safety
The Hays County Commissioners Court has voted to end all contracts with Flock Safety.
https://www.fox7austin.com/news/hays-county-contracts-flock-safety
27 days ago
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🔥 And another one! Lockhart, TX voted against Flock Safety in a 6-1 vote last night. 🔥
about 1 month ago
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Installing gunshot detection tech on or around schools is going to result in police shooting a student.
citizenportal.ai/articles/590...
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Rocky Mount Police Partner With Flock Safety for Gunshot Detection Technology Deployment
Rocky Mount High will implement Flock Safety's gunshot detection system for enhanced security.
https://citizenportal.ai/articles/5906089/North-Carolina/Rocky-Mount-Police-Partner-With-Flock-Safety-for-Gunshot-Detection-Technology-Deployment
about 1 month ago
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🔥 Good news out of Eugene, OR today regarding their use of Flock Safety ALPRs. The City Council voted 8-0 to recommend to the City Manager that the city turns the cameras off. 🔥
about 1 month ago
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Take note of the quotes from the Flock employee in this article: “Even if Flock took a stance on permitted use-cases, a motivated user could simply lie about why they're performing a search. We can never 100% know how or why our tools are being used.”
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 month ago
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SASSI South
Unicorn Riot
about 1 month ago
To learn more about "Tangles" social media monitoring software developed by the Israeli company Cobwebs (now owned by Nebraska based surveillance key player Penlink) check our 2024 report exposing many technical details:
unicornriot.ninja/2024/cobwebs...
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"Currently, you need a waiver from the FAA to fly a drone farther than you can see it." "With Flock’s help, police departments can get waivers approved in just two weeks. The company’s private-sector customers generally have to wait 60 to 90 days."
www.technologyreview.com/2025/09/30/1...
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The US may be heading toward a drone-filled future
The FAA is set to loosen rules to let people fly drones beyond their “line of sight."
https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/09/30/1124470/the-us-may-be-heading-toward-a-drone-filled-future/
about 1 month ago
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The products named here, Penlink's Tangles and Webloc, are used throughout the South by local, county, and state level police. We plan on reporting on this more soon but here are some screenshots of invoices from around the South. First, an agreement with the Cary (NC) Police Department.
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 month ago
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SASSI South
Tim Newman
about 1 month ago
If you want to know what’s really going on with AI, talk to data workers. I’m so grateful for all I’ve learned from the U.S. AI supply chain workers who talked to us about data work. Check out a new report with
@alphabetworkersunion.org
&
@cwaunion.bsky.social
:
cwa-union.org/ghost-worker...
add a skeleton here at some point
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SASSI South
Nashville Banner
about 2 months ago
Body-worn and dashcam footage capture a conversation between a Tennessee State Trooper and ICE about a May immigration sting in Nashville, as the state refuses to release the names or faces of those involved. ✏️:
@sarahgracetaylor.bsky.social
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ICE, THP operation footage raises transparency issues - Nashville Banner
Newly released footage reveals how Tennessee Highway Patrol and ICE managed an immigration sting in Nashville, raising concerns about transparency.
https://nashvillebanner.com/2025/09/26/thp-ice-mnpd-immigration-enforcement/
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In the latest from Flock Safety, the audit logs available for download on the company's demo transparency portal include searches for "abortion" and "immigration." Is the company showing potential customers how to do immigration and abortion searches?
transparency.flocksafety.com/flock-safety...
about 2 months ago
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"But the lawsuit against Norfolk sheds light on just how frequently drivers’ movements are recorded without a warrant for that information." We must be clear about the harms of ALPRs. Warrants won't sufficiently limit how ALPRs significantly expand police power.
www.nbcnews.com/tech/securit...
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Police cameras tracked one driver 526 times in four months, lawsuit says
Flock Safety says it has become “the largest public-private safety network” in the country.
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/virginia-police-used-flock-cameras-track-driver-safety-lawsuit-surveil-rcna230399
about 2 months ago
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SASSI South
Haymarket Books
about 2 months ago
LIVE NOW! Lessons in International Solidarity Join internationalist organizers discussing the lessons contemporary international solidarity movements can learn from past struggles. Organized with
@commjusticeexch.bsky.social
Stream here:
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Lessons in International Solidarity
Join internationalist organizers discussing the lessons contemporary international solidarity movements can learn from past struggles against the Vietnam War and in support of Vietnamese…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF89oS7CtL4
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Comrades in Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill, join us for a presentation on 10/4 at 3pm at the Burrow on the police surveillance apparatus in place in the Triangle. No background knowledge or experience necessary. Email us questions at
[email protected]
.
about 2 months ago
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SASSI South
Death Panel
about 2 months ago
In our latest,
@dreanyc123.bsky.social
returns to discuss how healthcare workers can resist ICE and refuse to participate in criminalizing the people the care for, and the resources available from Beyond Do No Harm
www.patreon.com/posts/138979...
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Beyond Do No Harm w/ Andrea Ritchie (09/15/25) | The Death Panel
Get more from The Death Panel on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/posts/138979001
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Good piece in terms of detailing how police use tech and data for violent purposes. The recommendation for stronger guardrails has proven to be insufficient time and time again. The only way to prevent data from being used for violent purposes is to never collect the data in the first place.
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about 2 months ago
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First, people subjected to police power and state violence have never had access to privacy. Second, surveillance is never safety.
www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2...
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Would you trade privacy for safety? License plate cameras stir debate.
Flock Safety, creator of license plate readers, solves crimes and also stirs concerns about privacy.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2025/09/13/license-plate-cameras-spark-controversy/86080436007/
about 2 months ago
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The latest example of the revolving door of public officials and police who move to work for private surveillance companies. "At Flock, he will lead public affairs for the eastern U.S., working with local governments that use the company’s technology."
signalcleveland.org/cleveland-ci...
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Cleveland City Council Member Kerry McCormack resigning post
Cleveland City Council Member Kerry McCormack is leaving after a decade as a local elected official to work for Flock Safety.
https://signalcleveland.org/cleveland-city-council-member-kerry-mccormack-resigning-post-to-work-for-flock-safety/
2 months ago
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"In 2009, Thiel wrote, 'I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible.' In 2025, his coterie seems to be making a full-court effort to follow through on the implications of that observation."
truthout.org/articles/far...
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Farage’s Visit to DC Underscores Alliance Between Far Right and Tech Titans
Silicon Valley is bankrolling the far right’s attacks on global democracy and getting anti-regulatory allies in return.
https://truthout.org/articles/farages-visit-to-dc-underscores-alliance-between-far-right-and-tech-titans/
2 months ago
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SASSI South
Andrea Ritchie
2 months ago
Well look at that.
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"[T]he Centinela system will include almost 10,000 cameras, nearly 2,000 license plate readers, and 13 police command subcenters statewide, able to deploy facial-recognition technology and conduct cross comparisons with a biometrics database..."
www.texasobserver.org/texas-chihua...
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Just Beyond the Texas Border, Chihuahua Is Launching a Burgeoning State Surveillance System
The 20-story Torre Centinela looming over Juárez is part of a much larger AI-powered network that won’t stop at the U.S.-Mexico divide.
https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-chihuahua-border-ai-surveillance-centinela/
2 months ago
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SASSI South
Truthout
2 months ago
A primer on the billionaire barons and corporate leaders profiting off ICE’s escalated assault on immigrants.
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Meet the Billionaire Oligarchs Enabling Trump’s Deportation Machine
A primer on the billionaire barons and corporate leaders profiting off ICE’s escalated assault on immigrants.
https://buff.ly/Eg0D0li
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SASSI South
Tech Workers Coalition
2 months ago
Who is Really Fueling your AI? Precarization and Resistance in Data Work. September 17th 2025 11 AM EST / 17:00 CET in Berlin
@weizenbauminstitut.bsky.social
@dataworkersinquiry.bsky.social
đź”— Register in-person:
tickets.weizenbaum-institut.de/jl89e/
📽️ Watch online
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA3w...
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reposted by
SASSI South
Inquest
2 months ago
"Most prisons are so short-staffed that the National Guard continues to be necessary to maintain basic operations. And we continue to live with the indefinite suspension of recreation, programs, commissary. . ." Joseph Wilson on the current state of NY's prisons.
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Never Forget Attica Day - Joseph Wilson - Inquest
Decades of policy failures, including a culture of impunity for correctional officers, have eroded many of the gains that the Attica uprising’s incarcerated leaders fought and died to secure.
https://inquest.org/never-forget-attica-day/
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SASSI South
Puff the Magic Hater
2 months ago
This week, I talk to
@dreanyc123.bsky.social
about the role of criminalization in authoritarianism and fascism—and why we need more outlaws, and less confusion about what the law protects and who it targets.
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The Trap of Law and Order Under Fascism
“There’s no rule of law that’s going to get us out of where we are,” says Andrea Ritchie.
https://truthout.org/audio/the-trap-of-law-and-order-under-fascism/
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Join SASSI for a digital workshop on Wednesday, October 1st from 7-8:30pm ET to learn how to identify and map Flock Safety cameras in your community and city as a tactic in challenging the use of automated license plate readers in your city.
2 months ago
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"Langley, who described those threatening the company as 'terrorists'..."
www.forbes.com/sites/thomas...
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AI Startup Flock Thinks It Can Eliminate All Crime In America
With more than 80,000 AI-powered cameras across the U.S., Flock Safety has become one of cops’ go-to surveillance tools. Now CEO Garrett Langley has both police tech giant Axon and Chinese drone maker...
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2025/09/03/ai-startup-flock-thinks-it-can-eliminate-all-crime-in-america/
2 months ago
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SASSI South
Harsha Walia
2 months ago
"War on Drugs everywhere is a deliberately punitive war that destabilizes communities, blocks access to care, and maintains colonialism and capitalism through carceral systems of police & prisons & borders & gentrification & involuntary treatment."
www.weavingourworlds.ca/wow-statemen...
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WOW Statement: End the Global War on Drugs
WOW Statement: End the Global War on Drugs Every August 31, International Overdose Awareness Day brings people together around the world to take action on preventable overdose deaths and the legislate...
https://www.weavingourworlds.ca/wow-statement-on-ending-the-global-war-on-drugs/
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"Lafayette... wasn’t alone in deactivating safeguards. Documents obtained from another department piloting the Axon software, in Fort Collins, Colorado, shows police similarly disabling footers acknowledging that the reports were produced using AI."
www.motherjones.com/criminal-jus...
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Government documents show police disabling AI oversight tools
Departments aren't reviewing or disclosing AI-written police reports—which are now being used in plea deals.
https://www.motherjones.com/criminal-justice/2025/08/axon-police-ai-draft-one-foia/
2 months ago
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"Freeman didn’t disclose his role with Fusus in conversations with at least 14 other cities during a period spanning at least two years, and at least nine of those cities went on to make or amend millions of dollars worth of contracts with Axon Fusus"
theintercept.com/2025/09/02/a...
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“Duped”: How One Atlanta Cop Secretly Shilled for Police Tech
NYC, Seattle, and more paid millions for Axon Fusus software after speaking to an Atlanta officer — who sat on Fusus’s board.
https://theintercept.com/2025/09/02/atlanta-seattle-police-axon-fusus-surveillance/
2 months ago
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SASSI South
Maya Schenwar
3 months ago
Thinking about this piece by Rory Fanning right now.
add a skeleton here at some point
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For our friends in Texas,
#FlockSafety
holds contracts with multiple Education Service Centers, including ESC 4 (Austin) & 13 (Houston). There's prob more... Is Flock enabling CBP/ICE to monitor families via schools? ESC 4:
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
ESC 13:
esc13.net/services/flo...
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r250203-flock-mad-2025-04-01-combined
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26053007-r250203-flock-mad-2025-04-01-combined/
3 months ago
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