Verkada employees use facial recognition to harass female colleagues

Surveillance start-up Verkada faced serious allegations regarding the misuse of its own facial recognition technology by employees to harass female colleagues. 

A sales director and other male employees used the company’s security cameras to capture images of female coworkers and shared them in a Slack channel, accompanied by sexually explicit comments and jokes, according to media reports.

After the incidents were reported to human resources, the company's CEO, Filip Kaliszan, initially responded by offering the involved employees a choice between leaving the company or having their stock options reduced. 

However, following public scrutiny and internal feedback, he announced the termination of the employees involved, acknowledging that the initial disciplinary measures had been inadequate.

Verkada's cameras, equipped with facial recognition capabilities, allow for the identification of individuals over time, which can lead to invasive surveillance practices if misused.