The social media video begins with the former president of the University of Montana loading a shotgun as he addresses the prevalence of automatic license plate readers.
“Are you tired of security cameras watching your every move?” asks Seth Bodnar, now running for the U.S. Senate from Montana as an independent. “Yeah, me too.”
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The campaign video ends with Bodnar aiming the shotgun at a camera and blasting it to bits.
It reflects a growing backlash against Flock and other surveillance devices from across the political spectrum. Candidates like Bodnar are tapping into fears about what the government and technology companies are doing with surveillance data, while also tying their pitches to widespread opposition to data centers that power artificial intelligence and other technology.
Trump says he "likes" Flock cameras. I say "Flock off." pic.twitter.com/NekA0w4VJd
— Seth Bodnar for Montana (@SethBodnarForMT) September 14, 2026
Bodnar also criticized President Donald Trump’s recent show of support for Flock’s cameras.
“Trump says he ‘likes’ Flock cameras,” Bodnarsays. “I say ‘Flock off.’”
Backlash against Flock
While supporters of Flock’s technology say it is a necessary tool for tracking down criminals, critics point to a growing number of cases of abuse by law enforcement and false arrests as evidence of the cameras’ dangers.
At least 153 cities, according to DeFlock.org, which tracks cameras erected by Flock and other companies, have rejected the use of license plate reader cameras in response to complaints from the public.
Cases of vandalism against Flock’s cameras have also grown across the country.
Flock currently operates more than 120,000 cameras across 49 states. Straight Arrow reached out to Flock Safety for comment on Bodnar’s video but did not receive a reply.
Bodnar is running second in a four-way race, a recent poll shows, trailing Republican nominee Kurt Alme by 9 percentage points.
‘They’re watching’
Bodnar’s ad warns viewers that they can be tracked by Flock’s cameras while carrying out everyday activities.
“Getting groceries? They’re watching,” he says. “Building a new deck, going to church, seeing a doctor? They’re watching. Buying ammo for the season? They’re watching.”
The candidate goes on to criticize data brokers and data centers as well before placing a surveillance camera on a stump and shooting it.
While the camera in Bodnar’s video does not appear to actually belong to Flock, Adam Lee Heimerman, an independent congressional candidate from Tennessee, was arrested and charged with four counts of felony vandalism in July after he allegedly shot four operational cameras, at least one of which was owned by Flock.
Round out your reading
- He built his own Flock-style camera to track police. The police didn’t like it.
- Trump’s apparent joke about letting Iran bomb LA and San Diego catches bipartisan condemnation.
- Grandparents are fighting for access to their grandchildren. Here’s what the law says.
- When the ‘victim’ is made with AI, child pornography cases get complicated.
- Fibermaxxing is trending. Here’s what the science says.
