GoKawiilFlock Safety expands police drone business amid license plate reader backlash
Flock Safety, valued at $8.4 billion, is expanding its drone-for-police program even as its automated license plate readers face vandalism and municipal bans across the country. Cities have blacked out, painted over or wrapped the company's cameras in protest, citing surveillance concerns, while the company pivots growth toward aerial surveillance tools for law enforcement.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The shift toward drones suggests Flock may be diversifying away from a product line drawing regulatory and public resistance, though this could simply invite similar scrutiny over privacy and oversight in a new form. Expanded police drone use raises questions about data collection, warrant requirements and accountability that lawmakers and civil liberties groups are likely to examine closely.
- Flock Safety's license plate readers have been banned or vandalized in multiple cities over privacy concerns.
- The company's drone business for police departments is growing even as its camera business faces backlash.
- The shift raises new questions about surveillance oversight that regulators have not yet fully addressed.
Source: fastcompany.com, 2026-10-13
Published there as: “Flock is facing a surveillance backlash. Meanwhile, its drone business is booming”
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