Flock, the US surveillance firm, has been under scrutiny for its role in police abuse, with its founder and CEO, Garrett Langley, admitting that the company took too long to implement safeguards against police misuse. This admission comes as a response to growing public backlash and incidents of police using Flock's technology to track romantic partners and stalk strangers, leading to dismissals and public records requests revealing unnecessary surveillance.
Langley acknowledges the delay in addressing these issues, stating, 'Yeah... yes.' To address this, Flock is reducing data retention from 30 days to seven and implementing an automatic flagging system for abnormal searches and uses. This move follows a pattern of police misconduct, with officers quitting or being fired for misuse of the technology.
The company's challenges are not limited to public perception. A recent partnership with Amazon's Ring was canceled due to concerns about unwanted surveillance. However, Flock is also attracting new customers, with a 7:1 ratio of new to lost customers in the last three months. Langley's perspective has evolved, and he now supports the idea that police should need an active case number to search Flock's data, aligning with civil liberties groups.
Despite the misuse, Langley emphasizes that the company is not solely to blame. He states, 'We're only as good as the data coming in,' and points out that police officers are the ones who fail to follow rules. However, the public's perception of Flock as an 'easy villain' due to its visibility cannot be ignored.
The article concludes by highlighting the complex nature of the issue, with Langley expressing a willingness to hold police accountable and suggesting that cities without Flock are choosing to be less safe. The debate over data protection and police oversight continues, with Flock at the center of it, as it navigates the fine line between aiding law enforcement and safeguarding civil liberties.
