We are already gathered in datasets. What if we meet in real life? We are already gathered brings together communities with shared surveillance risks. Let's talk about who is collecting our information and strategize through teach-ins and zine-making. Together, we investigate the systems that investigate us.
We are already gathered, we walked past a Flock Camera, April 2026, NYC
Zine Library
These zines were drafted in Spring 2026. Click the cover to see each zine in PDF view. The resources linked in each zine are also collected here.
Use the links below to download 11" by 17" printable layouts, which can be folded like 'magic zines'.
Spring 2026 Event Series
Each event takes place in a public space that is related to the data ecosystem and is documented with a long exposure photograph that anonymizes participants. Exact location will be provided to those who RSVP.
We are already gathered, we walked past a Flock camera
Mon April 27
with Daly Barnett from Electronic Frontier FoundationAre they license-plate readers or are they AI-powered people-tracking cameras? There are more than 16,000 video cameras, including Flock's, used by the NYPD to amass faces, vehicles, and more- and they're linked to a national cloud-connected database. We'll dig into what kinds of data these cameras collect, what it's used for, and what we can do about it.
We are already gathered, we posted about Palestine
Sat May 2Meta is censoring activists, DHS is scanning travelers' posts and prosecutors are charging mutual aid organizers with money laundering. While social media can be a valuable tool for sharing information and building coalitions, it is also a surveillant apparatus. We'll get into data collection on pro-Palestine social media activity, what this means and what we can do about it.
We are already gathered, we changed our names
Tues May 12
with Mistress MuseWe change our names because of our gender, ethnicity, relationship status, or other identities. As anti-trans and anti-immigrant policies sweep the country, digital surveillance tools are more powerful than ever. We'll explore who knows that you changed your name, what implications this has and what we can do about it.
Hosts
beck haberstroh is an artist, writer, digital safety educator, and resident with Mozilla Foundation's Creative Futures x Rhizome: Counterstructural Commons
Imani Thompson is a tech ethicist and founder/host of Cache Me Outside, a Brooklyn-based security culture and digital literacy event series
& more...
Contact
We are currently incubating future projects. Please reach out if you'd like to collaborate with us!
Get in touch: [email protected]
Follow on IG: @wearealreadygathered
Thank you
Thank you to all the friends, mentors and participants who advised, troubleshooted, carried, dreamed, helped, came out, zined with us and made this possible <3The title font on this page is called "i am your worst fear; i am your best fantasy / FIRST GAY AMERICANS Font." and is created by GenderFail. Check out and support their work.
Resources and Links
[in progress]We are already gathered, we walked past a Flock camera
Collaborate with our research on are.na.
Find out which Flock and other ALPR cameras you regularly walk past
Find out which other NYPD cameras you regularly walk past: Ban the Scan & STOP Spying
Did you know that you can request access to surveillance camera footage? To request access to footage from the city, submit a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request via the NYC OpenRecords portal. To request from a private surveillance camera, ask the operator (they don't have to comply).
The website Eyes on Flock aggregates info from Flock 'transparency' portals and gives a picture of some of how data is being used.
Street Level Surveillance project from Electronic Frontier Foundation
We are already gathered, we posted about Palestine
Collaborate with our research on are.na.
We are already gathered, we changed our names
Collaborate with our research on are.na.