Flock, a US surveillance company, is introducing new safeguards to prevent police misuse of its technology. Garrett Langley, the firm's founder and chief executive, admitted that these protections should have been implemented sooner.
Police have reportedly used Flock's licence plate-reading cameras and drones to track romantic partners and stalk strangers. In one instance, the technology was used to track a woman who had an abortion. This misuse has led to public backlash against the company.
New measures include reducing the standard data retention period from 30 days to seven. Additionally, abnormal searches and uses of the system will now be automatically flagged. Langley stated that he now agrees with groups advocating for police to require an active case number to search Flock's data.
Police officers across the US have resigned or been fired due to misuse of the technology. This year, at least 50 cities have terminated their contracts with Flock. However, Langley noted that 16 cities that had previously stopped using Flock services have since rejoined the company in the last three months.