US cities axe Flock Safety over surveillance privacy fears

Flock's "Safety-as-a-Service" model is colliding with the reality of localized AI surveillance deployed without tight access guardrails.

• –Police departments are sharing data across state lines and with federal agencies like ICE, breaking local community trust
• –Expanded AI capabilities (tracking by clothing or vehicle dents) cross the line from license plates to persistent individual tracking
• –Pushback from privacy advocates is leading to new state-level data retention laws that will constrain the product
• –A clear warning sign for AI developers building public sector tooling: technical capability does not excuse missing access controls