Garrett Langley Defends Flock Safety Technology Amid Privacy Concerns and Public Backlash
Garrett Langley, the founder and CEO of Flock Safety, recently defended his company's automated license plate reader technology against growing public scrutiny. While the technology has been deployed in thousands of communities, it has sparked a backlash regarding privacy and potential misuse by law enforcement. Critics, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, argue that the networked cameras constitute mass surveillance, while Langley maintains that the system provides essential data for solving crimes and identifying suspects. Langley addressed specific instances of human error and technological flaws, such as a high-profile case where a driver was incorrectly flagged as a suspect due to a partial license plate entry in the national database. He emphasized that Flock Safety acts as a custodian of data owned by the government, rather than an owner of the data itself. To mitigate privacy concerns, the company offers a30-day default retention period for vehicle records. Langley advocated for state-by-state regulation to provide clear guardrails for the technology, arguing that the lack of current regulation shows that innovation is outpacing legislation. He remains committed to the vision of making crime harder to commit through widespread camera deployment.