Flock boss admits surveillance firm took too long to act over police abuse
US police officers have quit after using licence plate-reading cameras to track romantic partners.
Flock, a US-based surveillance firm, is implementing new measures to address concerns over police misuse of its technology, which its CEO admits should have been implemented sooner. Law enforcement agencies have employed Flock for various purposes, including tracking romantic partners, finding stolen cars, and locating missing individuals.
Founder and CEO Garrett Langley admitted that Flock took too long to protect its customers from police abuse. In response to public backlash, Flock is reducing data retention from 30 days to seven days and will automatically flag abnormal searches and uses. The company has lost at least 50 cities due to the backlash, but 16 former customers have returned in the last three months.
Langley acknowledged that Flock's new safeguards are "piecemeal, voluntary, and reversible" updates that fall short of ensuring privacy protection. Critics argue that simple safety features can be easily bypassed. While Langley accepts responsibility for more control over Flock's usage, he maintains that cities choosing not to use the firm are essentially opting for "less safety."
Despite concerns, Flock's visibility is contributing to public awareness about privacy and technology issues.
Written by urgent.news from BBC Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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