The AI Surveillance Giant Losing Ground: How 30 Cities Ditched Flock Safety in 2025

In a stunning turn of events for the AI surveillance industry, at least 30 cities across the United States have terminated their contracts with Flock Safety in 2025 alone, marking a significant setback for the company whose CEO boldly declared his ambition to “end all crime” within the decade through ubiquitous camera surveillance.

The revelation comes from NPR’s comprehensive investigation, which uncovered a growing grassroots movement successfully pressuring municipalities to reconsider their partnerships with the controversial surveillance company. At the forefront of this resistance is DeFlock.org, an open-source web application tracking license plate readers nationwide that has become the central hub for anti-surveillance activists.

The Growing Resistance Movement

The campaign against Flock Safety represents one of the most organized pushback efforts against AI surveillance technology to date. Led by Colorado-based organizer Will Freeman, the movement has achieved remarkable success in just a few months. “We are seeing a lot more momentum,” Freeman told NPR. “I expect there to be more cities dropping Flock.”

The victories have been both swift and decisive. Flagstaff, Arizona, Eugene, Oregon, and Santa Cruz, California represent just a few of the municipalities that have severed ties with the company after intense community pressure. In Flagstaff, Mayor Becky Daggett acknowledged the overwhelming opposition, stating, “In the end, it was just clear that this wasn’t going to be a technology that was going to be well received or that we could continue to use.”

The Hidden Dangers of License Plate Readers

While license plate readers might appear innocuous on the surface—after all, what harm could come from tracking vehicles?—the reality is far more concerning. DeFlock’s comprehensive database, which currently tracks over 77,000 AI-powered license plate readers across the United States, reveals the extensive reach of this technology.

The implications extend far beyond simple vehicle identification. These systems create detailed records of residents’ location histories, effectively building a comprehensive map of people’s movements, habits, and routines. This data has already led to several troubling outcomes:

Wrongful Arrests: In North Carolina, flawed license plate reader data contributed to erroneous arrests, highlighting the technology’s potential for serious miscarriages of justice.

Racial Profiling: Investigations by the Electronic Frontier Foundation have exposed patterns of discriminatory enforcement, with the technology disproportionately affecting minority communities.

Police Misconduct: Perhaps most disturbingly, the technology has been weaponized for stalking and harassment by law enforcement officers themselves. In Georgia, a police chief was arrested for using Flock cameras to stalk and harass individuals, demonstrating how surveillance tools can be turned against the very communities they’re meant to protect.

A Case Study in Surveillance Failure

The Denver incident from October 2024 serves as a perfect illustration of the technology’s flaws. A woman was accused of stealing a $25 package after police used Flock’s system to determine she had been driving nearby on the day of the theft. The case proceeded to the point where charges were being considered, only to collapse when GPS data from the woman’s vehicle revealed she had driven through the area without stopping. This episode exposed how authorities were willing to pursue criminal charges based solely on flawed AI surveillance data, treating proximity as probable cause.

The Trump Administration’s Role

The opposition to Flock Safety has intensified significantly since the start of 2025, coinciding with the Trump administration’s aggressive use of AI surveillance tools in its immigration enforcement efforts. The Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have increasingly weaponized these technologies as part of what many critics describe as a “dystopian crackdown” on immigrant communities.

This federal adoption has transformed what was once primarily a local law enforcement tool into a component of national immigration policy, raising the stakes for communities considering whether to allow such surveillance in their neighborhoods.

The Broader Implications

The Flock Safety exodus represents more than just a series of canceled contracts—it signals a potential turning point in the public’s relationship with AI surveillance technology. As communities become more aware of the technology’s limitations and potential for abuse, they’re increasingly willing to say no to what was once presented as an inevitable technological progression.

The success of the DeFlock movement demonstrates that organized, informed resistance can effectively challenge even well-funded tech companies with powerful government connections. It also highlights the importance of transparency and public oversight in the deployment of surveillance technologies.

Looking Forward

As more cities consider their relationships with surveillance companies, the Flock Safety case provides a roadmap for concerned citizens. The combination of data transparency, community organizing, and sustained pressure has proven effective in challenging the narrative that these technologies are necessary for public safety.

The question now is whether this trend will continue. With 30 cities already having cut ties and organizers expecting more defections, 2025 could mark the beginning of a broader reassessment of AI surveillance in American communities. As the technology continues to evolve and its applications expand, the balance between security and privacy remains one of the defining challenges of our digital age.

The Flock Safety story is still unfolding, but one thing is clear: when communities come together to question the unchecked expansion of surveillance technology, they can indeed make their voices heard—and their cities safer from both crime and overreach.

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