Reuters reports planned Flock Safety cuts amid camera privacy backlash
Sources told Reuters the AI surveillance company plans to reduce its workforce by about 18% while its camera network draws scrutiny.
Cuts reported, not announced
Flock Safety plans to cut about 18% of its workforce, roughly 270 positions, Reuters reported on October 9, citing people with direct knowledge of the plan. The sources said affected employees would leave at the end of the month, after a voluntary buyout program announced in September. Flock declined to comment, and the company had not publicly confirmed the cuts when Reuters published. The figures and timing are therefore attributed to Reuters’ confidential sources rather than a company notice or completed layoff count.
Surveillance under pressure
Flock sells AI-assisted cameras and license-plate readers to law-enforcement agencies and businesses. Reuters said the company has drawn growing challenges over privacy and data sharing, including a Virginia lawsuit and a Florida restriction on automated plate readers on state highways. Those concerns are a significant backdrop to the staffing report, but the article does not establish that the backlash caused the proposed cuts. Flock says its products help solve crimes; critics dispute whether the surveillance network has adequate safeguards. The reported workforce decision remains separate from those unresolved legal and policy questions.