Indianapolis police charged five officers Wednesday with fraud and misconduct after an internal audit of the city's 301-camera Flock system uncovered widespread abuse; one officer also faces a stalking charge. One officer had already resigned and the other four were suspended and recommended for termination. County prosecutor Ryan Mears said one officer searched license plates tied to his wife and two acquaintances 3,759 times over ten months.
yro.slashdot.org
· 2026-09-24
Flock Safety told Senator Josh Hawley it has replaced an open text field for justifying camera-database searches with a drop-down menu based on FBI crime categories. By year's end, law enforcement will also need to log a case number before searching, though the requirement can be waived in emergencies. The changes come as Hawley investigates the company and after a Senate hearing examined misuse concerns, including a case where a Florida woman spent 13 days jailed based on a camera match.
techspot.com
· 2026-09-24
The Senate Judiciary crime and counterterrorism subcommittee held a hearing on AI-powered surveillance networks, with Flock singled out by chair Josh Hawley as the industry's most prominent player. CEOs of Flock, Axon, Motorola Solutions and Verkada all declined to testify; instead the panel heard from cybersecurity experts, a sheriff who cancelled his department's Flock contract, and a Florida woman who says she spent 13 days jailed after her car was misidentified by Flock's cameras.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-24
Apple's new Apple Watch features, Live Rewind and Siri Recap, continuously listen to and transcribe surrounding speech to generate summaries, prompting immediate criticism from privacy experts. Apple published technical details claiming Live Rewind keeps only a rolling 15-second buffer and Siri Recap produces only high-level, non-speaker-identified summaries, with an audible chime alerting bystanders. The feature launches amid a broader trend of listening devices, including Flock cameras, AI pendants like Friend, and Meta Ray-Ban glasses, that record people without their explicit consent.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-24
Flock Safety announced changes to its automated license-plate-reading system after facing scrutiny from lawmakers in Congress. The company shortened its default data-retention period from 30 days to seven, introduced standardized categories for why searches are conducted, and will now require officers to enter case numbers before running a search.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-23
Springfield, Missouri's city council voted 5-3 on Monday to route a resolution reviewing police use of Flock Automatic License Plate Readers to a planning committee rather than allow public comment. Attendees who had gathered to speak reacted with shouting and protest as they left the meeting, and councilman Brandon Jenson criticized the process for denying residents a chance to be heard.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-23
404 Media is asking residents nationwide to submit public records showing how local police departments use Axon's automatic license plate reader cameras, which many cities are adopting after backlash over Flock's role in ICE lookups and a Texas officer's search related to a self-managed abortion. The outlet has already gathered Axon 'activity reports' from six police agencies detailing which officers searched plate data, their badge numbers, and stated justifications, but wants more submissions to map usage nationwide.
404media.co
· 2026-09-21
Flock Safety, the maker of AI-powered license plate scanning cameras, has begun offering employees a voluntary severance package as public backlash against its surveillance technology intensifies. The program, which started taking applications Friday, includes months of health coverage and extended stock option windows, with decisions expected by October 9 and departures by October 29.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-21
Flock Safety, a surveillance camera and license-plate reader company, is offering employees voluntary buyout packages instead of conducting layoffs as it faces a decline in customers. The move suggests the company is trying to cut costs while avoiding the reputational and morale hit of forced job cuts.
yro.slashdot.org
· 2026-09-20
Flock Safety introduced a voluntary severance program on Friday, described internally as the most generous package it has offered, aiming to shrink its roughly 1,500-person workforce. Wired reports the company anticipates strong interest and plans to approve buyouts for most who apply, likely averting the need for outright layoffs.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-19
Flock Safety launched a voluntary severance program on Friday, giving employees until October 2 to decide whether to leave with a package the company called generous. Insiders expect a large share of its roughly 1,500 workers to apply, as the surveillance firm faces mounting customer losses and public criticism over its network of license plate cameras.
wired.com
· 2026-09-19
Senator Josh Hawley is calling on Flock Safety's chief executive to testify before the Senate next week over the company's automated license plate reading network. Hawley argues that the surveillance technology, deployed widely across the country, threatens Americans' basic privacy expectations during everyday activities like commuting or attending church.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-18
GoKawiil