So what is the difference between what Kharma does and what Flock does?
There has been a lot of discussions concerning Flock camera deployments around the country of late so I thought I would address it.
So what is Flock? According to the Google Machine…
Flock cameras are AI-powered, solar-powered Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) manufactured by Flock Safety that are widely deployed by police departments, homeowners associations (HOAs), and businesses to solve and prevent crimes. Operating as a subscription-based surveillance network, over 100,000 of these cameras are currently active across the United States.
Key Features and Capabilities
Unlike traditional traffic cameras that record continuous footage or issue speeding tickets, Flock cameras capture high-resolution snapshots of passing vehicles to generate investigative leads.
• Vehicle Fingerprinting: The AI system goes beyond reading the license plate; it catalogs the vehicle's make, model, color, and unique features like roof racks, bumper stickers, dents, or custom modifications.
• Real-Time Hotlist Alerts: The system cross-references plates instantly against national and local law enforcement databases (such as the NCIC for stolen vehicles, AMBER alerts, or missing persons). If a match is found, an alert is sent to local patrol cars within seconds.
• Searchable Cloud Database: All gathered data is converted into searchable metadata and stored in a cloud database for 30 days by default before being permanently deleted. Police can search this database using natural language queries (e.g., "red pickup truck with a bumper sticker").
• No Facial Recognition: Flock Safety states that the cameras are strictly built to focus on vehicle characteristics, not personal biometric data or individual faces.
A customer asked me the other day “So if your cameras do the same thing, what is the difference between what Flock does and what Kharma does?”
Flock cameras are automated license plate readers (ALPRs) commonly used by police and neighborhoods to fight crime. They capture timestamped, point-in-time photos of passing vehicles, using AI to log the plate, make, model, color, and unique features (e.g., bumper stickers, roof racks).
Both of our systems, as well as many others, use AI to perform things such as ALPR (Automated License Plate Reader) functions and many others can do such things as discriminating between cars, people, animals, etc. So from a technological point of view the two a similar. But there is one big difference between the two…
Kharma and its customers cannot come to your house armed and take away your civil rights!
For instance, at Home Depot, which uses Flock cameras in there locations, you can choose to not shop there if you so choose. You cannot however, stop moving about society.
Another big difference between Flock and Kharma is that our data is stored locally at the venue and the only people with access to it are Kharma and the client. We at Kharma only log into it to do updates or when the client needs help. This data is not uploaded to the cloud and is not searchable between locations.
As you can see, there is a big difference between what a private company does on its own property with no power over you and what law enforcement can do to you. We try to be very open about what our cameras do and do not do. Most of our cameras are deployed to stop vandalism and theft at construction sites and to protect apartment communities.
Please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.