AI Surveillance Startup Flock To Cut Several Hundred Jobs Amid Backlash, Sources Say (yahoo.com) 40
Reuters reports:
Flock plans to let go of about 18% of its employees, people with direct knowledge of the plans said on Thursday, as the maker of AI-powered surveillance cameras and license-plate readers faces mounting opposition to its products from communities and lawmakers....
The company has about 1,500 employees [with job cuts hitting 270 employees]. Flock faces growing scrutiny from regulators, lawmakers, and privacy advocates, despite drawing strong investor interest among venture capitalists. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Americans are divided on whether Flock cameras are a good idea. Some 38% of the country supports the use of Flock cameras in their community, compared to 47% who oppose their use.
A related story... In Texas this week a county commissioner decommissioned all 61 of their Flock surveillance cameras and license plate readers, according to a local news report. County residents "have raised serious questions about who can access this data, what vendors can disclose, improper searches, and records being kept after data expires," the precinct's Chief Public Affairs Officer said.
The company has about 1,500 employees [with job cuts hitting 270 employees]. Flock faces growing scrutiny from regulators, lawmakers, and privacy advocates, despite drawing strong investor interest among venture capitalists. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Americans are divided on whether Flock cameras are a good idea. Some 38% of the country supports the use of Flock cameras in their community, compared to 47% who oppose their use.
A related story... In Texas this week a county commissioner decommissioned all 61 of their Flock surveillance cameras and license plate readers, according to a local news report. County residents "have raised serious questions about who can access this data, what vendors can disclose, improper searches, and records being kept after data expires," the precinct's Chief Public Affairs Officer said.
Good (Score:1)
Fuck em. Would be nice if they finish the job and go under completely. And take Axon and the Motorola shit with them.
No sympathy whatsoever or the people who lost their jobs.
Re:Good (Score:5, Insightful)
No sympathy whatsoever (f)or the people who lost their jobs.
I have no sympathy for the developers and managers and salespeople who fully knew the nature of the evil they were aiding and abetting. Also, no sympathy for the owners and investors.
But the lower-level people probably had less knowledge of, and less ability to figure out, how evil the product / service is. Also, many of them were likely choosing between working for an evil company, and losing healthcare, food for their kids, and educational opportunities. I DO have some sympathy for folks in that position.
Re:Good (Score:4, Insightful)
What evil? Solving violent crime is evil now?
Well, I'm sure the rulers in Orwell's 1984 also solved lots of violent crime. But I think that even you might object to both their definition of "violent crime", and how they "solved" it.
Did I wake up in the dark mirror universe or something?
If you're talking about a literal, physical universe, then probably not. If you're referring to a metaphorical universe, then there's a distinct possibility that the answer to your question is "Yes!"
Re:Good (Score:5, Insightful)
Flock doesn't solve violent crime, it might provide evidence for a policeman to solve violent crime.
It's not evil to solve violent crime. You are getting over excited dear.
However Flock could be used for evil. And there is a consumer backlash because of that, it's the wrong product.
More interesting is why is there is so much violent crime in your culture? If you are an American, you appear to have a violent culture, perhaps the most violent in history, the only one to have dropped a nuke. And perhaps you will be watching the upcoming firing squad execution on tv?
American culture may also be the most nakedly greedy, given it's present chosen leader.
It feels obvious that a culture that celebrates and tolerates greed and violence, breeds violent crime.
Rather than living in a surveillance state, perhaps change your culture? You could even make a little more Christian as that seems to be popular. Love thy neighbour, bless the meek and all that jazz.
Re: (Score:2)
Flock doesn't solve violent crime, it might provide evidence for a policeman to solve violent crime.
It's not evil to solve violent crime. You are getting over excited dear.
However Flock could be used for evil. And there is a consumer backlash because of that, it's the wrong product.
And that is the conundrum. If there were real efective data protections to ensure private data was secure from any cop wanting to do a search and searches required teh same effort as those in the real world, people might have fewer issues with it. Collecting massive data bases of people is inherently bad beacuse it will be missued, as events have already shown.
More interesting is why is there is so much violent crime in your culture? If you are an American, you appear to have a violent culture, perhaps the most violent in history,
The US culture certainly grew out of violent struggles to expand its territory across the continent, and no doubt shaped its current one to a d
Re: (Score:2)
Mr Judgement?
I like that.
Hey cousin, I am a Brit, we literally turned violence into a national sport, biggest Empire the world's ever known. I still have a king descended from legitimised violent thugs.
Hopefully we have put most of that that behind us, mature cultures learn from their history hopefully. Looking forward to our young punk colonial cousins doing the same.
If you're inclined, there's one little more bit of a violence we'd like to see involving an Orange devil, you don't have to kill him, but do
Re: (Score:2)
"However Flock could be used for evil."
Flock IS being used for evil. Read the news. It is also being used for good. As a society we need to get the technology under control. So full stop on implementation until we figure out how to get the benefit to risk ratio sorted out.
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Wise
Re: (Score:2)
Case in point of Flock being used for evil right on Slashdot.
https://yro.slashdot.org/story... [slashdot.org]
That didn't take long.
Re: (Score:3)
Are you also okay with citizen voyeurism? Or is voyeurism only okay when it's being done by "trusted officials"?
Re: (Score:2)
An increase in voyeurism incidents that get punished harshly and detected often is fine if it will reduce the murder and sexual assault rate.
By the way, I am also pretty sure Flock can detect more voyeurism incidents than it enables, but I'll digress on that point.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm trying to imply that Flock, et al, is voyeurism.
Re: (Score:2)
But the lower-level people...
Just following orders?
Re: (Score:2)
Everybody, living their comfortable well ordered lives, say that they would be the first to stand tall against tyranny and sacrifice that comfort.
Re: (Score:1)
First off, fuck you. Second what's your beef with Axon? Got caught on camera doing something nefarious?
Re: (Score:2)
The problem with Axon cameras is that they have off buttons. The person who that camera is recording most - ie the person WEARING the camera - should NOT be able to turn off that camera, at most they should be able to mark up to 90 seconds of upcoming footage at a time as private for bathroom visits (they can press it again every minute or so, and if they end up lying about it and using it to do something illegal, the footage can still be reviewed later.)
Axon cameras are mostly useless because of all the ne
Re: (Score:2)
So in other words your problem is that Axon can be turned off, I'm sure Axon would have no problem with that. It's the policed depts. with that policy. I'd support some of the changes you state, and cloud stream recording. Also a 30 second delay for bathroom break private mode enabling.
As Mr. Miyagi might say, (Score:5, Funny)
"Flock on, Flock off"
I really do hope that they Flock off, but cockroaches are perennial survivors so I'm not terribly optimistic.
Re: (Score:3)
I hope you realize that Flock is mostly just being replaced by a small number of competitors. Do you choose the panopticon you know or the one you don't?
I believe that what you're offering me is called a false dichotomy. And BTW, the greater evil never justifies the lesser one.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I hope you realize that Flock is mostly just being replaced by a small number of competitors. Do you choose the panopticon you know or the one you don't?
I believe that what you're offering me is called a false dichotomy. And BTW, the greater evil never justifies the lesser one.
The specific camera, and database of the wanted is nothing new. What is not good is a couple things.
Incorrect data entry leading to persistent errors, and being almost incorrectable until the wrong person getting nabbed for something they did not do. Even then it isn't always corrected.
Treating the data as infallable, like DNA evidence. It is not. As shown, it isn't even reliable. This case of telling a woman her evidence can be shown at her trial apparently seems like discovery is off the table.
The abi
Re: As Mr. Miyagi might say, (Score:1)
The Epstein class wants this (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
I hope you have noticed that the majority of the Epstein Class are Democrats or European Royalty. The latter can only be voted out by Madam Guillotine.
This won't go away... (Score:3)
This won't go away, Flock is just the first and the one that made the mistake of getting in the public eye. When Flock goes bust, several smaller companies will pop up offering the same technology but with NDA's. The info is too valuable to no be sold by some greedy sob with no morals. The government is gonna want this any way they can get it to go with the echelon phone data. Once the genie was out of the bag it is just a matter of time. Our grandkids will wonder how we survived without Uncle Sam knowing where we were at all times.
methuselahs children
Re: This won't go away... (Score:1)
Big Investment Opertunity (Score:1)
in using legal proxies to erode constitutional rights
The same people ... (Score:2)
... "backlashing" will turn around and give all their personal info away to get coupons or something.
Reality check: it's fashionable to hate on Flock right now. That's about as deep as it goes, ,for most people.
GOOD! (Score:1)
Shotspotter is a GREAT idea. Look for random BANGS from a bunch of 'BANG' sensors. Video cameras everywhere... not so much.
Replace by companies with better PR (Score:2)
Staying out of the public view is how surveillance startups will weather the storm. Once the public becomes complacent again then it is back to usual business.
Flock is probably unstoppable (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
What Flock did isn't unusual. Flock has been around for more than a decade, and their products were desired in the early days.
But ALPRs by themselves are decades old as well, the technology is not new.
(ALPRs are used at border crossings, as well as toll roads and parking lots and police vehicles.) The key thing here is that ALPRs have been strictly contained - you captured a license plate and you sent off a bill or ticket as appropriate and no one bats an eye.
Flock in its early days captured license plates