TechCrunch disclosed that Flock founder and CEO Garrett Langley believes the benefits of widespread surveillance technology outweigh the risks, stating that pausing progress hinders accountability for crimes.
Speaking at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, Langley addressed criticism and contract cancellations faced by Flock, a company known for its license plate cameras and recording devices. He deflected concerns by sharing anecdotes of police chiefs and city leaders, and highlighting alleged crimes solved by Flock technology, rather than offering direct solutions.
Langley positioned Flock as an inevitable technological advancement, suggesting that a reduction in crime necessitates a trade-off in privacy. He drew parallels to AI, which also promises improvements at the cost of personal data and potential existential risks.
Langley argued that technology, like driverless cars, is not perfect but aims to improve processes, and that accidents should lead to improvements, not cessation of development. However, unlike autonomous vehicle companies that pause operations after crashes, Flock appears hesitant to take responsibility for ethical concerns, preferring to leave usage policies to city leaders. Langley also countered claims of facial recognition, clarifying that while Flock cameras can detect and track people, they do not perform facial recognition. He emphasized that Flock is "far from perfect" and that judging technology against an ideal rather than its predecessor is a societal flaw. He further argued that Flock helps law enforcement cope with declining employment by providing a technological solution to fill gaps, though he offered no concrete methods to curb potential abuse or invasiveness of the surveillance technology.
Langley concluded that the positive impact of Flock on millions of lives justifies the controversies and mistakes, asserting that the technology is worth the price because it could one day benefit those who currently disagree with its use.
Source: TechCrunch
