🤖 The CEO Who Blamed the Bots, the Phone Tower in a Backpack, and the AI That Out-Spotted the Experts

Or: Blame the Bots, Mind the Fake Tower, and Check That Car Charger

By Thomas Seest, Dunlap.Today · Monday, October 26, 2026

Grandma had a saying when one of us kids got caught: “Don’t tell me the dog did it.” This week, a tech CEO told a room full of police chiefs that the bots did it.

Meanwhile, New York’s police want a gadget that pretends to be a cell tower and fits in a backpack, and a peer-reviewed study says an AI system did better than trained experts at catching fake videos.

Here’s the roundup for folks who buy bug sweeps and the private investigators who do the work: plate cameras and the people fighting them, a fake cell tower with AI, AI that checks if video is real, new AI police gear, a thief that steals your AI chats, deepfakes from generals to welfare ads, face scanners in shops, and hidden cameras and trackers.

⏱️ What this means for you in 30 seconds

• Need plate-camera records for a case? Ask for the search logs too, and ask fast. Some towns delete in 14 to 30 days.
• Use AI assistants for work? Your chat history is now a target. Log out of old sessions and lock down your laptop.
• Got a video that might be evidence? Keep the original file. Don’t just save a screenshot or a re-share.
• See a “government scheme” ad with a famous face? Check the official website before you pay a dime.
• Worried about being tracked? Check the USB and charger ports in your car, not just under the bumper.

🎙️ “It’s Not Real,” Says the Plate-Camera CEO

404 Media got hold of audio of Flock CEO Garrett Langley talking Sunday at the big police chiefs’ conference (IACP) in Orlando. He told the room that protests against Flock “are not real” and that “it’s anonymous bots.” He said his wife told him to “never apologize,” and he’d like to “never do media again.”

Flock’s AI plate cameras feed a national network of about 80,000 cameras that police can search without a warrant. Dozens of cities have cancelled over the past year and a half.

Blaming the bots is a lot like Cousin Billy blaming the dog for the empty biscuit pan. The crumbs are still on his shirt.

What it means for you: These cameras aren’t going away soon. If you need the records, ask for the search logs and audit trails, too.

👉 404 Media

🗽 Plate Cameras: Long Island, Quincy, and Huntington

A Flock representative told Long Island lawmakers the cameras can “reconstruct” where people drove. Police in states that don’t block it can run searches tied to people traveling for reproductive care. Flock says the filter is a logged search reason and the system doesn’t flag anyone automatically.

Quincy, Mass. switched off its 50 Flock cameras. It’s moving to Axis cameras with AI software from OdinEye and keeping its 14-day delete rule. And The Verge spent time in Huntington, W.Va., where neighbors are gathering signatures to put Flock on the ballot and the council passed rules for 30-day deletion and quarterly audits.

What it means for you: Every town is writing its own rules. Know which vendor your town uses and how long it keeps data before you ask for records.

👉 New York Post · Boston.com · The Verge

🎒 A Fake Cell Tower That Fits in a Backpack

The New York Daily News reports the NYPD is close to a no-bid, $750,500 deal with Cognyte for FalcoNet. It’s a cell-site simulator, a box that pretends to be a cell tower so nearby phones connect to it. It can ride in a car, on a drone, or in a backpack.

The NYCLU says it comes with “undisclosed AI capabilities that analyze people’s behaviors.” The NYPD says it needs a warrant, with an emergency exception, and only four officers would be allowed to use it. City Hall is still reviewing.

What it means for you: Your phone can be tricked into talking to a fake tower without any warning. High-risk clients should ask their TSCM provider about cellular checks. Defense teams should ask if one was used.

👉 NY Daily News via Blade Intel · NYC City Record

🔬 The AI That Out-Spotted the Experts

Magnet Forensics opened an AI Research Lab. Its first peer-reviewed study gave 14 videos, some real, some edited, some made by AI, to 20 trained examiners and to its AI system. People got 69% right on average. The AI got 91% and, Magnet says, never gave a wrong answer. It said “I can’t tell” when it wasn’t sure.

The kicker: training mattered more than years on the job.

What it means for you: If video might end up in court, keep the original file and make sure whoever checks it has real training. This is a vendor studying its own tool, so look for others to repeat it.

👉 Magnet Forensics

📹 New AI Gear on Display for Police

At the same conference, Axon showed off its Body 5 camera with 25 times the AI processing power, real-time translation, a lens that scans driver’s licenses, and AI that flags rising tension on a live stream for a human to review. LexisNexis rolled out Field Clarity, an AI helper that walks regular folks through filing a police report with videos of their car.

What it means for you: More evidence will be labeled by AI before a person sees it. Ask for the AI alerts and translations along with the video.

👉 Axon · LexisNexis via PR Newswire

🕳️ The Thief That Steals Your AI Chats

Check Point found a new piece of password-stealing malware called Aokigahara with a special section for AI apps. It grabs logins and sessions for Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini, and more, along with the usual passwords, wallets, and cloud keys.

Think of your AI chat history like your diary on the kitchen table. Anybody who gets in the house can read it.

What it means for you: If you’ve pasted case notes into an AI assistant, a stolen session could expose them. Keep your computer clean, and log out of AI apps after any scare.

👉 Check Point Research

🎭 Deepfakes: A General, Politicians, and a New Check

India’s Army said a viral video of a general “admitting” China took border land was made with AI lip-syncing and a cloned voice laid over a real 2023 press briefing. In Rajasthan, police warned that deepfake videos of politicians are being used to sell fake government aid schemes and trick people into approving UPI payment requests. In Japan, Showcase added AI “liveness” checks to its ID tool to catch deepfake selfies without asking people to blink or turn their head.

What it means for you: Finding the original video is still the quickest way to catch a fake. And if an ad promises free money, it’s a scam.

👉 Hindustan Times · Jaipur Times · ABP Live · PR Times

📸 Face Scanners in Towns and Shops

A BBC essay warns that AI policing trained on “dirty data” can steer officers back to the same neighborhoods again and again. Suffolk Police in England will bring a live face-scanning van to Lowestoft, Bury St Edmunds, and Ipswich Nov. 3–5. In August, it scanned 80,000 faces and made four arrests. And Facewatch says it sent 297,433 face-match alerts to British shops in the first half of 2026, over 1,600 a day.

What it means for you: If AI flags you or a client, ask what data it learned from and who put you on the list.

👉 BBC (AI bias) · BBC (Suffolk) · Facewatch analysis

🔌 Trackers in Chargers, Cameras in Bedrooms

Kmart Australia sells a $25 car charger with a hidden tracker that it advertised as “undetectable.” Australia’s eSafety Commissioner warned that cheap trackers put domestic-abuse victims at risk.

In Wilton, N.Y., a 58-year-old man is charged with unlawful surveillance over a hidden camera in a bedroom that deputies say ran from July into October. In New Jersey, a former volunteer firefighter got 20 years in prison in a case involving a hidden bathroom camera. In Kerala, India, police opened a case after a 10th-grader allegedly doctored classmates’ photos.

What it means for you: Check the car’s USB ports and the home Wi-Fi device list, not just the smoke detectors. Charges are allegations; the accused are presumed innocent.

👉 WhichCar · CBS6 Albany · Hoodline · N.J. Attorney General · NorthJersey.com · The Hindu

🕵️ From the PI Desk

In Spain, companies hiring private detectives to check on suspicious sick leave is up about 30% since the pandemic, and agencies say their hunches hold up 80 to 90% of the time. Closer to home, the trial of a former Dothan, Ala. private investigator charged with 33 theft counts for work he allegedly never did was postponed again while the DA seeks a restitution deal.

What it means for you: Hire a licensed PI, get the job in writing, and ask for the reports and photos you paid for.

👉 El Español · WTVY

— Dunlap.Today

📚 Plain-English AI Glossary

• ALPR: Automated license plate reader, a camera that reads and logs plates as cars pass.
• Cell-site simulator: A device that pretends to be a cell tower so nearby phones connect to it. Also called an IMSI catcher or “Stingray.”
• Media authentication: Checking whether a photo or video is original, edited, or made by AI.
• Peer-reviewed: Checked by outside experts before a journal publishes it.
• Infostealer: Malware that quietly copies passwords, logins, and files off your computer.
• Session: The “stay logged in” pass an app keeps. Steal it and you don’t need the password.
• Deepfake: A fake video, photo, or voice made with AI to look or sound like a real person.
• Liveness detection: AI that checks a real, live person is in front of the camera, not a photo or deepfake.
• Live facial recognition: Cameras that compare passing faces to a watchlist in real time.
• TSCM: Technical surveillance countermeasures, the professional name for a bug sweep.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Can police see where I drove with these plate cameras?

Often, yes, if your car passed a camera. Rules on who can search and how long data is kept depend on your town and state. Ask your town which vendor it uses and its retention policy.

Can a bug sweep find a fake cell tower?

Some TSCM providers check for suspicious cellular activity, but it’s specialized work. Ask your provider whether cellular analysis is part of the sweep.

Can AI really tell if a video is fake?

It’s getting better. One peer-reviewed study found an AI system beat trained examiners. The best results still come from the original file plus a trained human.

I use ChatGPT or Claude for work. What should I do?

Keep your computer updated and protected, use strong sign-in protection, and log out of AI apps everywhere if you think your computer was infected.

How do I check my car for a tracker?

Look in the USB and 12-volt ports, under seats, in the trunk, and under bumpers. Your phone may warn you about unknown trackers. For peace of mind, ask a pro for a vehicle sweep.

✅ This Week’s Counter-Surveillance Checklist

• ✅ Request plate-camera records and search logs early
• ✅ Ask your TSCM provider about cellular checks for high-risk meetings
• ✅ Keep original video files and their metadata
• ✅ Log out of AI apps after any malware scare
• ✅ Verify any “government scheme” on the official website
• ✅ Inspect car chargers and USB ports for hidden trackers
• ✅ Review the home Wi-Fi device list for unknown cameras
• ✅ Hire only licensed PIs, with the job in writing

Practical rule: When the cameras, the towers, and even the videos can be fake or watching, keep the originals, ask for the logs, and check the little gadgets nobody thinks about.