Surveillance Patent Shows Flock Spying Way Worse Than Advertised

Flock Safety’s own patent reveals that its spying capabilities are far worse than advertised, undercutting the company’s and its defenders’ claims that Flock cameras are simply license plate readers.

The backlash against the Flock surveillance system has been swift and, in many cases, highly effective, with activists and citizens forcing states, counties, and law enforcement agencies to end their contracts with the company. As more and more counties cut ties, Flock has been forced to defend its technology on the grounds that it is a useful tool, not as intrusive as its critics make it out to be, and with new “safeguards” in place, they can crack down on police officers who abuse the system.

But Flock’s patent reveals a system more powerful than the company lets on in public statements.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted Flock’s patent, “System and method for object based query of video content captured by a dynamic surveillance network,” in Aug. 2022. The patent names Flock’s current CEO, Garrett Langley, and Flock co-founder Matt Feury as the inventors.

Although Flock’s Frequently Asked Questions claim its technology is “not a live-tracking system” and that each image captured by cameras is a “standalone vehicle event,” the patent shows the system was built to do the opposite. (Read more from “Surveillance Patent Shows Flock Spying Way Worse Than Advertised” HERE)