Flock boss admits surveillance firm took too long to act over police abuse

Flock, the US surveillance firm, is rolling out new safeguards to prevent police misuse of its technology which, its founder and chief executive admits, should have happened sooner.

Police have used Flock to track romantic partners , external and stalk strangers, leading to growing public backlash against the company. It has also been used to find stolen cars and missing people.

Asked whether it had taken Flock too long to protect tens of thousands of its cameras, licence plate readers and drones from police abuse, Garrett Langley said: "Yeah... yes."

Flock is cutting the number of days most data is retained, from 30 days to seven and abnormal searches and uses will also automatically be flagged.

Flock cameras have been used by police to not only track former and current romantic partners, but in one case, even a woman who had had an abortion , external .

Police across the US have quit , external or been fired , external for misuse of the technology.

A man in Indiana recently told local news he found out through a public records request that police had set a Flock alert , external for his vehicle, despite not being suspected of any wrongdoing.

At least 50 cities have this year cut ties with Flock , external due to a public backlash.