This Is Flock’s AI Search Tool for Cops
Flock Safety is facing scrutiny over its AI-powered surveillance tools used by police departments, which allow for automated searches based on physical descriptions. Critics and experts argue that the technology is unreliable and prone to misuse, despite the company's recent attempts to implement new guardrails.
Why it matters
The integration of AI into law enforcement raises significant concerns regarding privacy, civil liberties, and the potential for algorithmic bias in policing.
Among the tools is an AI-powered watchlist. An officer can cordon off an area of a city, and make the cameras inside it run a continuous, automated search for anyone fitting a written description.
Over the past year, Flock has faced a backlash to its technology. Police departments across the country have canceled contracts, and city councils that once approved Flock have quietly voted the cameras back out. Two members of Congress wrote to CEO Garrett Langley after a Texas deputy searched more than 83,000 cameras for a woman who had an abortion. And Illinois found the company had let federal immigration agents reach state camera data in violation of state law.
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