Flock Safety says it will stop rolling out a feature that used its city-installed audio detection devices to listen for signs of human distress such as screaming. The company said it removed the pilot after community consultation. The feature was tied to Flock's acoustic gunshot detection hardware, formerly called Flock Raven and now marketed as Audio Detection, and had raised concerns about mass audio surveillance, false alerts, and possible conflicts with state eavesdropping laws.
Why it matters: This matters for residents, cities, and civil-liberties defenders because it changes a real police-surveillance capability that could have expanded street-level audio monitoring beyond gunshot detection. Communities using or considering Flock systems should review what audio features remain enabled and what legal and privacy controls apply.
Matthew Guariglia
2026.07.17
100% relevant
This article establishes a distinct surveillance-policy story: Flock has publicly reversed course and ended a specific pilot feature for voice-based distress detection on its audio surveillance devices.
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