Surveillance company Flock cuts staff as privacy backlash grows
Flock would not say if CEO Garrett Langley would take a pay cut following the reduction in workforce.
Surveillance camera producer Flock is downsizing its workforce as it grapples with mounting backlash over its license plate readers and people-tracking technology. According to Reuters, the company is cutting its staff by 18%, which amounts to approximately 270 employees, across all levels. The reduction is set to conclude at the end of October, following a voluntary buyout program.
Wired previously reported that Flock was encouraging some employees to resign due to the need to reduce its workforce to avert mandatory layoffs. A spokesperson for Flock, Paris Lewbel, clarified to TechCrunch that the company had offered its current employees a generous Voluntary Separation Program as part of its strategic move to prepare for future growth, emphasizing that this was a voluntary program, not a layoff.
The spokesperson declined to provide further details regarding any pay cuts for CEO Garrett Langley or other executives involved in the program. Flock has drawn significant criticism and resistance from communities nationwide and lawmakers aiming to curb the company's extensive surveillance activities. The firm has deployed more than 100,000 license plate-reading cameras across the United States, enabling law enforcement and federal agents to monitor the location and movement of vehicles passing by.
Numerous police officers have faced disciplinary actions, including arrests, firings, or resignations, for misusing access to Flock's system to surveil and stalk individuals without their consent or a warrant. While some cities have taken down Flock's cameras in response to public outrage, the company promptly replaced them, leading some Americans to destroy the cameras themselves.
Flock has also been accused of poor cybersecurity practices, such as exposing cameras publicly via the web, and has faced scrutiny regarding the system's accuracy, with instances of misidentifying license plates leading to unlawful police stops and arrests, including a journalist who was driving a pre-approved review vehicle. Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Los Angeles Police Department, have either terminated or suspended their contracts with Flock due to privacy and civil liberties concerns.
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