YouTuber builds anti-surveillance backpack to dodge America’s 82 million surveillance cameras

A YouTuber created a $2,260 setup that projects live video of what’s in front of him onto a TV mounted on his back. This effectively makes him undetectable by security cameras.

Chris the Producer attempted to avoid being seen by America’s many security cameras – around 82 million, by some estimates – by hiding under a white sheet for a week, but the experiment failed.

This time, his plan was simpler: just grab the chicken from the store and avoid all the security cameras.

YouTuber straps $2,260 TV to his back to evade surveillance cameras

The setup included a GoPro attached to the chest, a North Face backpack, a powerful Yeti 1500 battery, and a television screen fixed to the back of the pack.

The camera showed a live view of the street on the TV screen, making it look like he’d disappeared and been replaced by the empty road.

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Chris said the setup was practically undetectable, although it performed optimally when he faced away from the cameras. A version with functionality on both sides would cost around $3,000.

This stunt came about after Chris tried an experiment: he spent a week going about his daily life while trying to avoid all surveillance cameras.

During his investigation, he discovered a widespread network of Flock Safety license plate readers operating in 49 states. These readers are connected to other surveillance technologies like CCTV cameras, Ring doorbells, and facial recognition software, creating a comprehensive and interconnected surveillance system, according to experts.

He did a test run where he drove two miles to the store and back, passing by three Flock cameras and about 24 CCTV cameras, just to pick up some chicken.

Jason Koebler, who helped start 404 Media, explained to Chris that completely avoiding all surveillance isn’t realistic in the long run. However, the device Chris built—a ‘TV backpack’—did succeed in getting him the chicken he wanted.

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2026-04-23 19:21