Flock Safety CEO urges privacy and safety compromise amid backlash

In short: Flock Safety is under growing scrutiny over how its camera and license plate tools can be misused, and its CEO is calling for a national “compromise” between privacy and safety.

What's going on

Flock Safety sells surveillance tools used by police and communities, including cameras and license plate readers, which are cameras that automatically record plate numbers (like a fast note-taker that never sleeps). CEO Garrett Langley said in a Fox News interview that the country should find a “compromise” that balances safety and privacy.

The backlash is not only about what could happen. The Washington Post reported 46 cases where police officers were accused of using Flock systems for unauthorized reasons, including stalking wives, girlfriends, or exes. Langley told CBS News he apologized after hearing from an alleged victim, but he also argued that Flock did not create police abuse and that the company helped reveal it.

Politicians from both parties have also started to target the company. Democrats, including Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Senator Bernie Sanders, have criticized the spread of Flock cameras. On the Republican side, three House members introduced a bill that would block the federal government from buying automated surveillance systems that use facial recognition, biometric ID, or license plate recognition, and it names Flock.

Flock has responded by changing some defaults. It reduced default data storage from 30 days to seven days, and it now asks users to enter a case code before accessing data. Critics, including the ACLU, say these steps may help, but they note the settings can be overridden, including by using an “Evidence Mode” option that can keep data longer.

What to watch

Langley says states should make illegal use of Flock data a crime, and he has called for more regulation and accountability. Watch whether new laws limit how long data can be kept, who can search it, and what penalties apply when officers misuse it.

Source: TechCrunch AI