Flock's plate readers are losing cities, so it's buying out staff

Flock has been running license plate readers across dozens of cities, tagging every car that passes. The contracts are ending, and the cities aren't renewing. The company is now offering employees voluntary severance — a buyout if they want to leave.

WIRED reports the program is voluntary, not a layoff. Flock is still operating, but the revenue from the plate readers is drying up as municipalities cut ties. This is the kind of quiet reckoning for companies built on public surveillance: the cameras stay, the money goes.

Why this matters for us: when surveillance tech loses its grip on cities, the pressure eases on la gente — fewer plates read, less data sold, less reason to wonder who's watching.