The tech firm that helped police find the Brown shooting suspect has sparked privacy concerns. Its CEO responds
#Flock faces criticism from #privacy and community groups who worry that its cameras are collecting too much personal information and could be misused. #EFF & #ACLU urged communities not to work with Flock. Flock also drew scrutiny in Oct when it partnered with #Amazon’s #Ring cameras that lets public safety agencies request video footage from Ring customers.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/19/tech/flock-safety-ai-cameras-brown-suspect-privacy


![<div><img alt="" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" height="450" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Turning-a-20-smart-ring-into-a-DIY-MIDI-controller-Colmi-R02-WebMIDI-API-hardware-and-DAW-9-52-screenshot.png?w=800" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" width="800" /></div><p>The Colmi R02 is one of the cheapest smart rings on the market. It costs about $20, and is remarkably easy to hack. [Floyd Steinberg] took advantage of this to turn it <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aNxuAbEwvM" target="_blank">into a rather unique MIDI controller.</a></p>
<p>What makes the Colmi R02 somewhat unique is that the manufacturer did not try to lock out users from uploading their own firmware. You don’t even really need to “hack” it, since there is no code signing or encryption. You can just whip up your own firmware to make it do whatever you want.</p>
<p>To that end, [Floyd] set up the ring to act as a device for musical expression. When connected to a computer over Bluetooth, data from the ring’s accelerometer is converted into MIDI CC commands via a simple web app. The app allows the MIDI messages to be configured so they can control whatever parameter is desired. [Floyd] demonstrates the ring by using it to control filter cutoff frequencies on an outboard synthesizer, with great effect.</p>
<p>You could theoretically just strap an accelerometer to your hand with a microcontroller and achieve similar operation. Howe](https://files.mastodon.social/cache/media_attachments/files/115/992/379/388/772/234/small/0c41fcfd98766e00.png)






