• 2 min read
Flock CEO Walks Back 'Terrorists' Attack
Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley apologized for calling privacy activists “terrorists” as criticism of the police camera network keeps growing.
Image: Gizmodo
Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley has apologized for calling privacy activists “terrorists,” backing away from remarks he made about critics of the company’s sprawling police camera network across the U.S.
According to Forbes, Langley in 2025 described people opposing Flock as “terrorists” and referred to the Deflock group as a “terroristic organization.” Deflock runs the open-source mapping site deflocked.org, which tracks more than 115,000 cameras across the country.
“My comments were a mistake and I apologize. There are groups today that have real valid criticisms of the business, and I think what’s changed for us is, as we’ve listened to them and heard them out, what we’re trying to do is find this balance. We believe in a world where we can have safety and privacy.”
Flock sells license plate readers used by local police departments, and activists have long raised privacy concerns about the company’s expanding footprint. The company says it does not track individual people, though critics point to video demonstrations they say show otherwise. Flock also denies working with ICE, another flashpoint for opponents.
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Langley’s shift came after fresh attention from Tucker Carlson, who criticized the CEO on Wednesday for branding a camera-mapping group as terrorists. Carlson described Deflock as a group that tells people where Flock cameras are located and argued that opposition to license plate readers is rooted in privacy concerns.
At the same time, pressure on Flock has extended beyond online criticism. Videos showing vandalized cameras are regularly posted to Reddit, and some cities have begun stepping back. The Los Angeles Police Department recently allowed its three-year contract with Flock to lapse.
Langley now appears to be taking a more conciliatory line. In his interview with Forbes, he said websites mapping Flock camera locations are acceptable “assuming no one is committing a crime.” The reversal suggests Flock is facing broader resistance as public scrutiny of always-on surveillance systems grows.
Security Editor
Sophia unpacks the invisible wars happening on our networks. Covering cybersecurity, privacy legislation, and cryptography, she exposes how our data is weaponized and defended. Before joining for(geeks), she spent years as a penetration tester. She's the reason the rest of the team uses physical security keys.
via Gizmodo
