Flock to cut about 270 jobs as surveillance products face growing opposition

Flock plans to lay off about 18 per cent of its roughly 1,500 employees as its AI surveillance cameras and licence-plate readers face opposition from communities and lawmakers. The company is also under scrutiny from regulators and privacy advocates, while Americans remain divided over its cameras.

Slashdot has reported:

Flock plans to cut about 270 jobs, or 18 per cent of its workforce, as opposition grows to its AI-powered surveillance cameras and licence-plate readers. People with direct knowledge of the plans said Thursday that the company intends to make the layoffs. Flock has about 1,500 employees.

The company faces increasing scrutiny from regulators, lawmakers and privacy advocates, even as it attracts strong interest from venture capital investors. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found Americans divided on whether Flock cameras are a good idea: 38 per cent supported their use in their community, while 47 per cent opposed it.

In Texas this week, a county commissioner decommissioned all 61 of the county’s Flock surveillance cameras and licence-plate readers, according to a local news report. Residents have raised concerns about the data collected by the devices and how it is handled.

The precinct’s Chief Public Affairs Officer said residents “have raised serious questions about who can access this data, what vendors can disclose, improper searches, and records being kept after data expires,”.