Get Flock'ed: Americans Revolt Against Creepy Camera Network

Sometimes public outcry does bring about change, and a perfect example of that is the pushback from Americans against Flock cameras.

Flock cameras are AI-powered surveillance devices that are officially known as Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs or LPRs); the network of cameras is operated by Flock Safety with one stated purpose: to aid law enforcement by capturing and analyzing images of all passing vehicles.

From previous RedState reporting on the surveillance cameras that have been popping up across the country in the last few years:

Flock Safety builds a "vehicle fingerprint" that captures things like your car's make, model, and color, and also unique car features such as dents, roof racks, and even bumper stickers; it also stores information like your car's location, date, and time. All of this information then becomes searchable data points for police ... and others.
The folks at Flock Safety say they store your information for 30 days, then it is "automatically and permanently" deleted. However, its "customers" – police departments, cities, businesses, and even HOAs (!!) – are able to request the data be held for longer if state and local laws allow it.

Flock Safety's CEO is a young man by the name of Garrett Langley, who at times has seemed wholly unprepared to deal with the backlash from Americans who aren't keen to have their every move photographed and archived. (Even worse, access to that treasure trove of information appears to have been pretty loosey-goosey, with some cops accessing it to stalk their ex-girlfriends.)

An instance of Langley not understanding how much Americans cherish their privacy was something he said last year about DeFlock, an activist group formed to highlight the dangers posed by ALPRs. He called the group a "terroristic organization."

“Unfortunately, there are also what I'd call terroristic organizations like DeFlock, whose primary motivation appears to be chaos. They're closer to Antifa than anything else.”

Then came the inevitable groveling apology, saying, "Last year during an interview, I made a mistake by referring to people in the DeFlock group as terrorists. I was wrong to say that, and I should have cleared this up a long time ago. That's my fault."

Last year during an interview, I made a mistake by referring to people in the DeFlock group as terrorists. I was wrong to say that, and I should have cleared this up a long time ago. That's my fault. Around the time of the interview, I was hearing reports of ALPR-avoidance apps…
— Garrett Langley (@glangley) July 17, 2026

Last year during an interview, I made a mistake by referring to people in the DeFlock group as terrorists. I was wrong to say that, and I should have cleared this up a long time ago. That's my fault. Around the time of the interview, I was hearing reports of ALPR-avoidance apps being used (on occasion) for serious crime avoidance, and I conflated that with legitimate criticism.
Being concerned about your privacy or how your local law enforcement agency conducts its operations isn’t terrorism, it’s American. DeFlock is not a terrorist organization, it’s an open source project that has gained popularity primarily due to our inadequate response to the questions and concerns that people have about ALPR.
Over the last 8 years, nearly 7,000 towns, cities and counties in America have purchased our ALPR cameras. While these cameras have done a tremendous amount of good in those communities, the recent awareness surrounding their existence has also spiked a fair share of criticism. I think we have failed to answer these questions and concerns at scale, and we are going to do a better job of that moving forward.

Well, it seems Langley is doing a better job at listening to public feedback and is making some changes to how the data collected by the cameras is stored and accessed. Flock Safety is reportedly "slashing how long its license-plate cameras store data from 30 days to just seven — while forcing cops to justify every search — amid mounting scrutiny from privacy advocates and politicians."

Flock camera CEO announces drastic new change to how company store's data https://t.co/jlaMsQ8VGC pic.twitter.com/MOlRJJpNYE
— New York Post (@nypost) August 13, 2026

“I’ve realized communities need my help,” Langley said. “They need flock to set the standard for how this kind of technology should be deployed. I think sadly, police abuse has been a problem for longer than people want to talk about.”

The folks at DeFlock were not impressed.

Then shut it down.#Flock #DeFlock #Axon #Surveillance #AxonAxoff #fyp #trending pic.twitter.com/j0kqmq7js4
— DeFlock (@therealDeFlock) August 13, 2026

Sometimes public pressure works. Flock may still be watching, but at least they now acknowledge that Americans are watching back.

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