ICYMI
“They’re Watching”: Independent Seth Bodnar’s Viral Video Sparks National Debate About Flock Cameras
MISSOULA, MT — In case you missed it, former Green Beret and Independent candidate for U.S. Senate Seth Bodnar's viral campaign video, calling out Flock surveillance cameras and taking direct aim at one on camera, continues to elevate a nationwide debate over Big Tech tracking, AI, and data privacy.
Here's what they're saying:
Montana Senate candidate who shot a stand-in Flock camera in a campaign ad calls for federal limits on surveillance tech, Business Insider, September 16
His target? A Flock camera.
Or a stand-in for one at least. Bodnar, an Independent running for US Senate in Montana, performed the stunt in a new campaign ad shared this week. The veteran and former University of Montana president told Business Insider that Flock cameras are an issue on which voters across the political spectrum can agree.
"This isn't an issue that's about left or right," he said. "This is about individual freedom."
Montana Senate Candidate Seth Bodnar Shoots Down Flock Cameras In Campaign Ad, HuffPost, September 15
“Trump says he ‘likes’ Flock cameras. I say ‘Flock off,’” wrote Bodnar, a U.S. Army veteran and former University of Montana president, alongside a clip of him destroying a camera on his social media.
Bodnar’s video marks the latest instance of a 2026 candidate slamming Flock Safety, the U.S.-based surveillance tech manufacturer that has raised privacy concerns in communities across the country through its artificial intelligence-fueled network of automatic license plate readers.
Montana Senate Candidate Shoots Flock Camera in Wild New Ad, Mediate, September 14
“They are all getting rich, and we’re getting screwed, and nobody is holding them accountable,” says Bodnar about Big Tech as he walks towards a tree stump with what appears to be a Flock camera in hand. He screws the camera onto the top of the stump and sets up a bag of flour behind it “just for fun.”
Bodnar accuses his Republican opponent, Kurt Alme, of “just sitting back and watching it all happen.”
“I won’t — not by a long shot,” Bodnar vows as he takes aim at the camera and fires, exploding a dust cloud of flour from his shot.
Montana independent Senate candidate shoots Flock camera in new video, Washington Examiner, September 14
Bodnar connects the company’s need to store data in cloud services to the rise in data center construction.
“That’s why they want to build data centers right in our backyards? They are all getting rich, we’re getting screwed, and nobody is holding them accountable,” he said. [...]
Bodnar then rips his opponent, Kurt Alme, a Republican, for not taking a stance on the ALPRs. The independent then says he will not do the same “by a long shot” before shooting a Flock camera positioned next to a bag of flour, for effect.
Senate Candidate Destroys Flock Security Camera With Shotgun in Campaign Ad, Newsweek, September 15
The stunt thrusts the already‑heated fight over automated license plate readers deeper into the 2026 midterms and signals escalating political pressure on states, tech companies, and law enforcement agencies that rely on the rapidly expanding surveillance network.
Montana voters now face a race where digital privacy, police access to data, and the future of AI‑driven monitoring could shape policy far beyond the state’s borders. The ad arrives as federal investigations, statewide bans, and even criminal cases mount against the controversial cameras.
‘They're watching.’ Montana Senate candidate's ad plays to anti-Flock sentiments, Straight Arrow News, September 15
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.
Bodnar has called on Congress to pass the bipartisan Flock-Off Act, introduced by Representatives Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Eric Burlison (R-MO), which would bar federal funds from being used to purchase, install, maintain, or operate automated license plate readers and biometric surveillance cameras. If elected, Bodnar has said he would push to get the bill passed in the Senate.
The campaign has noted that the cameras used in the video are not actual Flock Safety cameras, and that no private property was destroyed in the making of the video. The campaign condemns vandalism in any form.
Seth Bodnar is a Green Beret, business leader, and former president of the University of Montana running for the U.S. Senate to be an independent voice for Montana. Seth is guided by a lifelong commitment to duty, honor, and country. He graduated first in his class at West Point and served multiple overseas deployments, leading soldiers in the 101st Airborne Division and the 1st Special Forces Group, and serving as a special advisor to the commanding general in Iraq. After his military service and a successful career in business, Seth spent the last eight years leading the University of Montana. Under his leadership, the university achieved record high graduation rates, doubled research funding, launched the largest infrastructure renewal in campus history, restored financial stability, and was named the #1 military-friendly university in the country. Raised by two public school teachers, he believes leadership is about service, not party loyalty. Seth and his wife, a fifth-generation Montanan, are raising their three children in Montana.
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