Flock CEO defends surveillance technology amid backlash

Flock founder and CEO Garrett Langley defended the company’s surveillance technology at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 in San Francisco, arguing that it can help hold people accountable for crimes. “We shouldn’t pause progress,” he said during a panel on Wednesday.

Flock makes license plate cameras and other recording devices. The company faces criticism over privacy and potential abuse, and the source reports that backlash has led to cancelled contracts and layoffs. Langley responded to questions largely with accounts of conversations with police chiefs and city leaders and claims about crimes the technology had helped solve. He did not offer specific measures to address people’s concerns.

Langley said Flock should provide recommendations and default settings while minimizing mandated features, functions and policies. He argued that decisions about how the technology is used should remain with city leaders. He also said some customers cancelled contracts because they believed Flock devices used facial recognition. The cameras do not have facial recognition, but can detect and track people.

Asked about abuse and the intrusiveness of the surveillance, Langley did not spell out concrete ways to curb misuse. He said Flock had made mistakes but argued that its benefits to the public made the criticism worthwhile. The interview also compared public concerns about Flock with backlash against AI, with both technologies described as having been imposed on people without their consent.