Flock cuts staff as backlash to its surveillance cameras grows

Flock, the company behind a sprawling network of license-plate-reading cameras used by police across the United States, is cutting its workforce as criticism of its surveillance technology keeps growing. Reuters reported that Flock is reducing its staff by 18%, or around 270 employees, across the board, with the affected employees leaving at the end of October following a voluntary buyout program. The cuts follow a Wired report last month that said Flock was asking some employees to leave, citing the need to shrink staff and avoid mandatory layoffs.

Flock spokesperson Paris Lewbel told TechCrunch in a statement: “Flock recently offered current employees a generous Voluntary Separation Program as part of our efforts to position the company for its next phase of growth. This was a voluntary program, not a layoff, and reflects our continued focus on building a strong, sustainable business for the future.” The spokesperson declined to say whether chief executive Garrett Langley or other executives took a pay cut as part of the program.

Flock has installed over 100,000 license-plate-reading cameras across the U.S., allowing police and federal agents to track vehicles’ location and movements as they pass by. The company has faced heavy criticism and mounting pushback from communities and legislators looking to rein in what critics describe as a privately run mass-surveillance program. Dozens of police officers have been arrested, fired, or forced to resign for abusing access to Flock’s system to search, track, and stalk people without a warrant or their permission. Some cities have moved to take down Flock’s cameras after public outcry, but Flock has quickly replaced them, prompting some Americans to destroy the cameras themselves.

Flock has also drawn criticism over its cybersecurity, including instances where its cameras were left publicly exposed and accessible from the web. Security experts have questioned the system’s accuracy after it misidentified license plates, leading to improper police stops and arrests — including of a journalist who was driving an authorized review vehicle. Several law enforcement departments, including the Los Angeles Police Department, have allowed their contracts with Flock to expire or lapse, citing privacy and civil-liberties concerns.

Why it matters

A company whose core product is mass surveillance infrastructure is now shedding staff just as the political and legal backlash to that infrastructure intensifies, a signal that the business risk of operating a privately run tracking network at this scale is starting to show up on the balance sheet.