Flock Safety chief’s leaked remarks renew scrutiny of surveillance firm
Leaked audio of Flock Safety chief executive Garrett Langley has added to scrutiny of the surveillance camera company, which faces criticism over privacy. Speaking at a private gathering of police chiefs in Orlando, he said his wife had advised him never to apologise and claimed Russian bots were behind online criticism of Flock.
Langley offered no evidence for the bot claims, including his assertion that online backlash fell by 50 per cent after a Ukrainian drone strike on a Russian data centre. Flock says it has about 100,000 cameras in the United States; they record vehicle plates, locations and travel times, which police use to search for vehicles and suspects. The company says data is deleted after 30 days by default, while the ACLU said more than 55 communities ended Flock contracts in the previous year over surveillance and oversight concerns.
In short
- Flock CEO Garrett Langley was recorded discussing criticism of the company.
- He claimed Russian bots fuelled backlash, but offered no evidence.
- More than 55 communities ended Flock contracts in the previous year.
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The case for
Supporters may argue that Flock’s cameras give police a practical tool for finding vehicles linked to crimes and locating suspects, while a 30-day default deletion period limits how long records are retained. They may also say that scrutiny should focus on evidence about the system’s use and oversight, rather than treating the chief executive’s unsubstantiated remarks as proof that the technology itself is harmful.
The case against
Critics may argue that recording vehicles’ movements at scale enables intrusive tracking of people who are not suspected of wrongdoing, and that short default retention does not resolve concerns about access, oversight or possible misuse. The reported loss of contracts in dozens of communities suggests these concerns have led some local authorities to conclude that the privacy costs outweigh the policing benefits.
Explained simply
Flock Safety is a US company that makes cameras which read vehicle number plates. Police can use its system to search for vehicles and see where and when they were recorded; the company says recordings are deleted after 30 days by default.
The cameras’ use has prompted debate about privacy, police access and how the data is overseen. The American Civil Liberties Union has said more than 55 communities ended contracts with Flock in the previous year over those concerns, while the company says it has about 100,000 cameras across the United States.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Leaked audio exposes CEO of creepy surveillance camera firm Flock dragging wife into latest controversy”.