Flock CEO Garrett Langley appeared on Fox News calling for 'compromise' between public safety and privacy as the company faces mounting criticism over its surveillance technology, which includes cameras, drones, and license plate recognition systems. The Washington Post identified 46 cases where police officers allegedly misused Flock technology, including stalking wives, girlfriends, or exes. Langley apologized to one alleged victim while defending the company, saying, 'I don't think that Flock created police abuse' and claimed Flock is 'the first company to ever shine a light on it and build the tools to find it.'
Politicians on both sides have taken action against Flock. Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed accused his opponent of supporting mass proliferation of Flock cameras, while Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders posted 'STOP AI MASS SURVEILLANCE. STOP FLOCK.' Three House Republicans introduced a bill to prohibit the federal government from purchasing automated surveillance systems using facial recognition, biometric IDs, or license plate recognition, specifically naming Flock Safety cameras.
Flock responded by reducing default data retention from 30 days to seven days and requiring case codes for data access, though both changes can be overridden through a feature called Evidence Mode. The ACLU called the changes potentially 'a step in the right direction' but questioned whether Evidence Mode undermines them, calling it potentially 'another Flock PR move.' Langley has urged state regulators to pass laws making illegal use of Flock data a criminal offense.