Flock Safety kills acoustic system designed to detect 'human distress'
Flock Safety has scrapped its acoustic gunshot detection system, initially designed to identify ‘human distress’ through audio analysis. The decision follows significant privacy concerns raised by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and a subsequent decision by the Los Angeles Police Department to discontinue its use. The company maintains the system doesn’t analyze speech and was only available in a limited trial phase.
Flock Safety has announced the termination of its acoustic gunshot detection system, a project intended to identify potential violent incidents by analyzing audio cues. The system, revealed in October 2025, was designed to detect ‘human distress’ through audio analysis, raising serious privacy concerns. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) highlighted the potential for misuse, including the possibility of deploying armed police to every loud interaction on the street, and noted that the technology could violate state eavesdropping laws.
Flock Safety stated that the decision to discontinue the product was driven by ‘community consultation.’ The company emphasized that the system was not designed to capture people’s voices in bulk and lacked speech analysis capabilities.
Just weeks before the announcement, the Los Angeles Police Department announced it would be ending its relationship with Flock Safety, seeking greater protections regarding the handling and storage of collected data. The department’s concerns centered on the potential for broad surveillance and the need for stricter oversight.
Flock Safety’s blog post indicated that the system was only available to a limited number of customers as part of a trial program. The company’s actions reflect a shift in public sentiment regarding surveillance technologies and the importance of safeguarding civil liberties.