Backlash Pushes Flock Safety to Seek Privacy Compromise

Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley is urging a middle ground on mass surveillance as backlash grows against the company’s automated license plate reader network, which spans more than 120,000 devices used by thousands of law-enforcement agencies. Critics cite misuse and data-sharing concerns, prompting dozens of municipalities to cancel or pause contracts; in response, Flock has tightened policies and reduced default data retention to seven days while touting audits and safeguards. The debate centers on balancing civil liberties with public safety, with activists arguing that reforms don’t go far enough to regulate private surveillance networks that collect granular location data across jurisdictions.