Axis Communications
Axis Communications is a Swedish technology company focused on network-connected technology. They were founded in 1984, by Mikael Karlsson, Martin Gren and Keith Bloodworth.[1] They started out focusing on network-attached printers, scanners, and file storage servers. They then developed the first IP camera, named the Neteye 200, which was released in 1996.[1][2]
Mass surveillance
Having opened the door to internet-connected surveillance cameras, Axis then began building automated tracking. By the 20202, Axon offered a product suite built around identifying vehicles and logging their movements, using automated license plate reading technology. They offer innocuous purposes for this capability, such as toll collection, parking enforcement, and access management. However, they also build the ability to track the movements of everyone who is scanned. Additionally, specific individuals of interest can be flagged, so that an alert is issued if they are observed by the system.[3][4]