# Flock CEO Apologizes For Calling Activists ‘Terrorists’
# Forbes — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfjo1AWs-4E

Today on Forbes, Flock CEO apologizes
for calling activists quote terrorists.
For the last 2 years, Will Freeman has
been advocating against Flock Safety, an
$ 8.3 billion surveillance company that
tracks vehicles with a network of over
80,000 cameras. His organization,
DFlock, crowdsourced a map that shows
where the company's cameras are located
and helps local grassroots movements
organize against flock deployments.
In an interview with Forbes last year,
Flock CEO Garrett Langley described
Deflock as a quote terroristic
organization.
But now, as Flock faces an increasingly
vitriolic public backlash, Langley says
he regrets that label. He says, quote,
"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."
The anti-flock movement has picked up
steam recently thanks to reports of
ISIS's access to the company's cameras,
a brief partnership with Amazon's Ring
that ended after a public outcry about
an especially creepy Super Bowl ad, and
recent stories of cops using Flock to
stalk women. Even celebrities are
starting to speak out. UFC fighter Shawn
Strickland posted earlier this month on
X, quote, "To the legends out there
destroying Flock cameras, I just want
you to know America salutes you." Last
week, Tucker Carlson claimed Flock was
helping build quote the largest mass
surveillance operation in history and
called Langley a quote douchebag
billionaire.
Langley says he doesn't pay attention to
the online chatter about him. Langley
tells Forbes, quote, "No, we do not work
with ICE."
He emphasized that Flock only retains
data on cars for 30 days unless a local
government customer demands otherwise.
In Washington state, the company keeps
data for 21 days per recently enacted
local law. Langley says he welcomes such
regulation as it guides the company on
what the community wants when it comes
to privacy. He says, quote, "What's
changed in the business in the last year
is an acknowledgement that we don't have
all the answers."
He's also accepted Dlock's mapping of
its cameras. He says, quote, "Assuming
no one is committing a crime, it's
perfectly fine."
Freeman says, "It's quote awesome."
Langley has apologized. Freeman adds,
quote, I'm also just an American who
values safety. I just don't think mass
surveillance is the way to go about it.
Langley's comments are in sharp contrast
to Flock's previous stance on activist
groups organizing against it. The
company tried to shut down Deflock in
the past, sending cease and desist
letters to the group in early 2025.
It's also gone after Have I Been
Flocked, an unaffiliated website that
helps people learn if their vehicle has
been tracked by the company's cameras.
Flock claimed the site hosted
identifying information of officers in
live investigations and posed a threat
to their safety. In December last year,
Langley lambasted anti-flock activist
groups in emails to customers saying
they quote want to defund the police,
weaken public safety, and normalize
lawlessness, and are quote trying to
turn a public records process into a
weapon against you and against us.
Vandals have been taking aim at flock
cameras for at least a year. Anti-flock
Facebook groups have acred hundreds of
thousands of members who often post
creative suggestions for how to
dismantle the license plate readers. One
person recommends taking an ankle
grinder to cut down a camera pole.
Others say lasers or drones armed with a
spray paint canister can blind Flock AI.
When police agencies post warnings that
vandals face prosecution for trashing
Flock cameras, the movement comment
bombs them. For instance, in the small
town of Rutherford, North Carolina
earlier this month, the chief of police
put up a Facebook post that vandals who
saw down camera poles would be quote
charged to the fullest extent allowed
under North Carolina law. Facebook users
left 35,000 comments in response, many
disparaging flock.
Some major police agencies have stopped
using the technology due to privacy
concerns, including the LAPD and police
departments in Mountain View,
California, and Framingham,
Massachusetts.
But Langley says net customers have gone
up with annual revenue rate hitting $500
million earlier this year.
For full coverage, check out [music]
Thomas Brewster's piece on Forbes.com.
This is Kieran Meadows from Forbes.
Thanks for tuning in.