Flock Safety CEO seeks national compromise as surveillance backlash intensifies
Garrett Langley argues the US must balance privacy and safety as bipartisan pressure mounts over police misuse of the company’s automated monitoring systems.
Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley has called for a national compromise between privacy and safety, arguing that the United States is currently prioritising the wrong elements of the debate. Speaking during an interview with Fox News, Langley stated that focusing exclusively on either privacy or safety is insufficient, asserting that the country must find a middle ground to balance both interests.
The call for moderation comes as the company faces a growing public outcry over its surveillance technology, which includes cameras, drones, and license plate recognition systems. The Washington Post recently identified 46 specific cases where police officers were accused of using Flock’s technology for unauthorised purposes, including instances of officers stalking their wives, girlfriends, or exes.
Langley responded to the allegations by apologising to one alleged victim after listening to her interview, telling CBS News, “I apologize. It kills me that she went through that.” However, he maintained that Flock did not create the police abuse, claiming the company was the first to shine a light on the issue and build the tools to find it.
Political pressure on Flock Safety is now bipartisan, mirroring the broader backlash against data centres. On the left, Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed accused his opponent, Mike Rogers, of supporting the “mass proliferation” of Flock cameras. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders also targeted the company on social media, calling to “STOP AI MASS SURVEILLANCE. STOP FLOCK.”
On the right, three House Republicans introduced a bill to prohibit the federal government from purchasing automated surveillance systems that use facial recognition, biometric IDs, or license plate recognition, explicitly naming Flock Safety cameras in the legislation. Langley has suggested that state regulators should pass bills making the illegal use of Flock data a criminal offence, noting that the current lack of regulation and accountability is problematic.
In response to the criticism, Flock has reduced its default data retention period from 30 days to seven days and now requires a case code for data access. However, these measures can be overridden by police using a setting called “Evidence Mode.” The American Civil Liberties Union noted that while the change is a step in the right direction, it falls short of their recommended 48-hour limit, questioning whether the new rules represent a real change or a public relations move.
Langley is scheduled to appear on-stage at TechCrunch’s Disrupt conference in October, where he is expected to address these ongoing regulatory and privacy concerns.
