Verkada
Verkada Inc. is a privately-held security technology company, located in San Mateo, California. They offer a variety of products and services to enterprise and government customers, including surveillance systems, physical access controls, environmental sensors, security alarms, guest management systems, and mailroom mananagement.[1][2][3] The company was founded in 2016, by Filip Kaliszan, James Ren, Benjamin Bercovitz, Hans Robertso in Menlo Park, California.[4][3]
They became better known to the public in November 2025, when they announced their new AI-powered mass surveillance system.[5] That platform became available to the public in February 2026, as a relative latecomer to the market.[6] Although other mass-surveillance companies had already established themselves by that time, and despite Verkada's past failures of security, they began marketing themselves as an alternative for systems such as Flock and Axon.[7] They've had some success already, managing to sign contracts with some municipalities which were breaking ties with Flock under public pressure.[8][9]
Security Issues
Although there have not been recent, publicly-released security audits, Verkada has previously been shown to have ineffective cybersecurity controls.[10][11] A 2021 data breach allowed attackers to access the video camera footage from their customers.[12]
Legal and Privacy issues
Although the AI-powered mass surveillance which Verkada offers can be useful, it comes with some significant legal and ethical problems. A single ALPR does not constitute tracking, but systems like Verkada and connecting massive networks of these devices, in order to keep a constant record of each person's whereabouts. On top of this, they add facial recognition technology, performing non-consensual face scans of unwitting members of the public.
The Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution provides strong protections against "unreasonable searches and seizures," without a legal warrant, which clearly defines who is being subjected to a search, what place will be searched, and the duration of the search. It also needs to be signed by a judge. Based on legal precedent, tracking the movements of a person over time, is a form of a search, which therefore requires a specific and limited search warrant.[13][14]
See also
References
- ↑ https://www.verkada.com/
- ↑ https://help.verkada.com/
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/verkada-raises-205m-to-build-the-operating-system-for-the-physical-world-301624198.html
- ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkonrad/2019/04/25/this-startup-making-security-camera-systems-for-schools-reached-a-540-million-valuation-in-3-years/
- ↑ https://www.verkada.com/blog/ai-powered-deterrence/
- ↑ https://www.verkada.com/blog/ai-deterrence-enhancements/
- ↑ https://cybernews.com/privacy/flock-verkada-license-plate-cameras-comparison/
- ↑ https://docs.santabarbaraca.gov/OnBaseAgendaOnline/Documents/DownloadFileBytes/Council%20Agenda%20Report%20-%20NONRENEWAL%20OF%20FLOCK%20CONTRACT%20-%2008_25_2026.pdf?documentType=1&meetingId=1186&itemId=37919&publishId=27030
- ↑ https://www.newsweek.com/flocks-major-rivals-cameras-spark-increasing-backlash-12362093
- ↑ https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/2123068verkadacomplaint.pdf
- ↑ https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/08/ftc-takes-action-against-security-camera-firm-verkada-over-charges-it-failed-secure-videos-other
- ↑ https://dailysecurityreview.com/cyber-security/verkada-to-pay-2-95-million-for-security-failures-leading-to-breaches/
- ↑ https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/585/16-402/
- ↑ https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/565/400/