Flock CEO defends surveillance tech at TechCrunch Disrupt amid privacy backlash

Flock founder and CEO Garrett Langley defended his company’s surveillance technology at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 in San Francisco on Wednesday. Speaking during a panel, Langley argued that the benefits of crime-fighting outweigh the risks of abuse, stating that society should not pause progress to address privacy concerns.

According to TechCrunch, Langley deflected hard questions about the criticism Flock faces by sharing anecdotes with police chiefs and city leaders. He cited supposed crimes solved by the company’s license plate cameras and recording devices rather than offering tangible solutions to public privacy concerns. This approach has coincided with cancelled contracts and layoffs at the surveillance maker.

The Trade-off Argument

Langley positioned Flock’s technology as an inevitable advance, suggesting that citizens must offer up privacy in return for a society with reduced crime. He compared this dynamic to artificial intelligence, noting that both technologies are marketed for convenience while raising concerns about data sharing and potential misuse.

“Technology, at its core, in its definition, is just doing things better. It’s not doing things perfect,” Langley said. He used driverless cars as an analogy, arguing that because they are safer than human drivers, a single accident should not lead to shutting them down. Instead, he suggested focusing on preventing future accidents.

Public Backlash and Responsibility

The report notes that driverless car makers typically pause fleets and apply fixes after crashes, whereas Flock appears to wrestle with when it is the company’s responsibility to intervene. Critics argue that Flock, like AI, has been forced upon the public without consent, leading to a backlash that shares overlap with broader technology privacy debates.

That suggests a fundamental disconnect between the company’s leadership and public expectations regarding consent and corporate accountability in surveillance deployments.

What should you do?

Security and technology professionals should monitor how vendors address privacy complaints and whether they implement corrective measures after incidents. Organizations deploying surveillance tech should review vendor contracts for liability clauses related to data misuse. Professionals should also stay informed about local legislation regarding license plate readers and public data collection.

What to do and how to stay safe: Flock

• Review vendor contracts to understand liability for data misuse and privacy breaches.
• Monitor local and national legislation regarding surveillance technology and public consent.
• Assess whether vendors have clear protocols for addressing privacy complaints and incidents.
• Evaluate the necessity of continuous surveillance versus targeted data collection in your environment.

Step-by-step guide: How to Remove Data from Data Brokers: The Manual Cleanup Process

General security guidance from the Threat Times newsroom. It is not confirmed advice from the organisations named in this story.

Frequently asked questions

What did Flock CEO Garrett Langley say about privacy concerns?

Langley argued that the crime-fighting benefits of surveillance technology outweigh privacy risks and that society should not pause progress.

How did Langley respond to criticism at TechCrunch Disrupt?

He deflected questions by sharing anecdotes with police chiefs and citing crimes solved by Flock’s technology.

What consequences has Flock faced due to privacy backlash?

The company has faced cancelled contracts and layoffs amid growing national privacy concerns.