Episode Details

Flock Safety’s surveillance tech is getting a major upgrade—with AI tools letting police search camera footage for people based on written descriptions, turning cameras into an AI-powered watchlist. But the system’s rollout has sparked outrage: dozens of abuse cases, police departments pulling out contracts, and city councils removing cameras. A deputy allegedly used it to scan 83,000 cameras for an abortion patient, and Illinois found federal immigration agents accessing state data illegally. Flock’s response? Shorter data retention, mandatory case codes, and automated audits—set to roll out by year’s end. But experts say these fixes won’t stop misuse; the AI struggles with accurate person identification based on descriptions, and oversight is minimal. Worse, the system’s “political, social, and cultural expression” category lacks safeguards, despite legal protections. Flock claims safeguards exist, but how the AI works—and what makes one result different from another—remains a black box.

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