Flock CEO Defends License Plate Cameras, Tells TechCrunch Disrupt 'We Shouldn't Pause Progress'

TechCrunch reported that Langley presented Flock's cameras as "somewhat inevitable" and argued that a safer society requires citizens to give up privacy in return. According to TechCrunch, the CEO deflected hard questions about the criticism Flock faces and described crimes the company says its technology has helped solve rather than offering concrete responses to people's concerns.

Asked whether Flock had ended contracts with law enforcement agencies over misuse of its products, Langley said the company had not "fired" any customers, adding: "If a customer knowingly broke the law, we would fire them immediately." The question follows multiple reports of Flock reinstalling its cameras after local authorities had removed them. In some places, residents have covered the cameras in an effort to stop them recording.

Langley was also questioned about another contentious feature: the cameras' ability to record and process ambient audio. Privacy advocates have argued that Flock's original plans to detect screaming meant its devices would continuously collect human voices, amounting to mass surveillance of the public. Langley said the Gunshot Detection feature records "just gunshots" and nothing else.

Flock's own website describes the tool differently, saying it can "detect street takeovers early to stop chaos before it escalates" and can "expand awareness beyond gunfire with alerts for car crashes, fireworks, and sideshows." Flock spokesperson Paris Lewbel told TechCrunch that the gunshot detection technology is primarily used to detect gunfire but is also capable of detecting fireworks, sideshows and potential car crashes. Lewbel said Langley's remarks were intended to emphasize that Flock's Audio Detection technology is not designed to monitor conversations or analyze speech and does not currently detect human screaming or distress.

Flock has drawn months of controversy over its license plate readers and public backlash over privacy. TechRadar wrote that Langley's defiant tone appeared unlikely to ease concerns about surveillance surrounding his company's products.