Flock Safety: Difference between revisions
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'''[[wikipedia:Flock_Safety|Flock Safety]]''' is the creator and operator of surveillance technology. Flock cameras are surveillance cameras featuring many functionalities, including but not limited to: Scanning vehicle license plates; logging make, model, color, and "distinguishing features" of vehicles, gunshot detection and, facial recognition. They operate a network of 40,000<ref>{{Cite web |last=Polcyn |first=Bryan |date=24 Oct 2023 |title=Mapping Flock cameras, police 'secrecy' varies by department |url=https://www.fox6now.com/news/mapping-flock-cameras-police-secrecy-department |access-date=26 Sep 2025 |website=Fox 6 Milwaukee}}</ref> devices across the United States in 5,000<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 May 2025 |title=City Leaders Choose Flock Safety: A Proven, Community-Focused Public Safety Solution |url=https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/city-leaders-choose-flock-safety-a-proven-community-focused-public-safety-solution |access-date=26 Sep 2025 |website=[[Flock Safety]]}}</ref> communities. They often operate under private contracts, such as with | '''[[wikipedia:Flock_Safety|Flock Safety]]''' is the creator and operator of surveillance technology. Flock cameras are surveillance cameras featuring many functionalities, including but not limited to: Scanning vehicle license plates; logging make, model, color, and "distinguishing features" of vehicles, gunshot detection and, facial recognition. They operate a network of 40,000<ref>{{Cite web |last=Polcyn |first=Bryan |date=24 Oct 2023 |title=Mapping Flock cameras, police 'secrecy' varies by department |url=https://www.fox6now.com/news/mapping-flock-cameras-police-secrecy-department |access-date=26 Sep 2025 |website=Fox 6 Milwaukee}}</ref> devices across the United States in 5,000<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 May 2025 |title=City Leaders Choose Flock Safety: A Proven, Community-Focused Public Safety Solution |url=https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/city-leaders-choose-flock-safety-a-proven-community-focused-public-safety-solution |access-date=26 Sep 2025 |website=[[Flock Safety]]}}</ref> communities. They often operate under private contracts, such as with HOAs, commercial contracts, and public contracts with local law enforcement. | ||
The company "processes over 20 billion scans of vehicles per month"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Real-Time Vehicle Leads, Nationwide |url=https://www.flocksafety.com/products/national-lpr-network |access-date=26 Sep 2025 |website=[[Flock Safety]]}}</ref> In March of 2025 Flock raised $275 million<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=13 Mar 2025 |title=Accelerating Innovation: Flock Secures $275 Million to Advance Crime-Solving Technology |url=https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/flock-safety-secures-major-funding?utm_source=chatgpt.com |archive-date= |access-date=26 Sep 2025}}</ref> in a funding round bringing total value to $7.5 Billion<ref name=":0" />. Several sources estimate total funding in the range of $650M to $950M+<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hu |first=Crystal |date=13 Mar 2025 |title=US startup Flock Safety raises $275 million to fund manufacturing plant, R&D |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/us-startup-flock-safety-raises-275-million-fund-manufacturing-plant-rd-2025-03-13/?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=26 Sep 2025 |website=Reuters}}</ref>. Flock has claimed to have surpassed $300 million in ARR<ref name=":0" /> as of 2025 and cited 70% year over year growth. They are estimated to have over 1,000 employees. | The company "processes over 20 billion scans of vehicles per month"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Real-Time Vehicle Leads, Nationwide |url=https://www.flocksafety.com/products/national-lpr-network |access-date=26 Sep 2025 |website=[[Flock Safety]]}}</ref>. In March of 2025 Flock raised $275 million<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=13 Mar 2025 |title=Accelerating Innovation: Flock Secures $275 Million to Advance Crime-Solving Technology |url=https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/flock-safety-secures-major-funding?utm_source=chatgpt.com |archive-date= |access-date=26 Sep 2025}}</ref> in a funding round bringing total value to $7.5 Billion<ref name=":0" />. Several sources estimate total funding in the range of $650M to $950M+<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hu |first=Crystal |date=13 Mar 2025 |title=US startup Flock Safety raises $275 million to fund manufacturing plant, R&D |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/us-startup-flock-safety-raises-275-million-fund-manufacturing-plant-rd-2025-03-13/?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=26 Sep 2025 |website=Reuters}}</ref>. Flock has claimed to have surpassed $300 million in ARR<ref name=":0" /> as of 2025 and cited 70% year over year growth. They are estimated to have over 1,000 employees. | ||
==Consumer-impact summary== | ==Consumer-impact summary== | ||
===Privacy violations=== | ===Privacy violations=== | ||
Privacy violations are many and are obvious, the continuous tracking of the American public, the permanent surveillance archive, the logging of "distinguishing features on vehicles", timestamps, and the searchable database all, while indeed in conjunction with the notion that privacy cannot be assumed in public spaces, violate a person's right to privacy. Traditional observation in public spaces, which doesn't violate Fourth Amendment Rights, is fundamentally different from the generation of a permanent searchable archive that is created with the | Privacy violations are many and are obvious, the continuous tracking of the American public, the permanent surveillance archive, the logging of "distinguishing features on vehicles", timestamps, and the searchable database all, while indeed in conjunction with the notion that privacy cannot be assumed in public spaces, violate a person's right to privacy. Traditional observation in public spaces, which doesn't violate Fourth Amendment Rights, is fundamentally different from the generation of a permanent searchable archive that is created with the Flock cameras. Critics argue that the large-scale data aggregation transforms the fleeting public exposure into a detailed log of personal behavior, which can expose religious beliefs, sexual orientation, political affiliations, medical conditions, and other highly personal aspects of identity, all traditionally protected by the Fourth Amendment{{Citation needed}}. The system also offers no public opt out options, raising more risks of misuse, profiling, and long term monitoring. | ||
===Business model=== | ===Business model=== | ||