Why we love to hate Flock

The surveillance state has been growing steadily, but Flock Safety's integration into society has sparked a backlash. Flock's automated license plate readers (ALPRs), devices that record license plate details and other vehicle characteristics, have become a contentious issue across the United States. Over 50 agencies or jurisdictions have canceled, suspended, or rejected Flock's contracts, or deactivated its cameras since the start of 2026.

This public pressure has led Flock CEO Garrett Langley to announce changes in August 2026, including a shorter default data retention period and mandatory software to detect suspicious searches. While this has been a victory for privacy campaigners, it is just a small part of the overall surveillance system. Anaya Robinson, public policy director at the ACLU of Colorado, argues that Flock has become a household name for the broader problem of ALPR surveillance, similar to how Google is now synonymous with internet searching.

This has made the issue more approachable for people, but also led to a tendency to focus on a single company rather than the entire category of surveillance technology. Flock's rapid deployment into communities, often without proper legislative approval or public consultation, has contributed to the controversy. Once the public became aware of Flock's presence, there was ample opportunity for investigation.

However, simply avoiding Flock may not solve the underlying issue. Once officials in Denver, Colorado, faced criticism over Flock and concerns about data access, they allowed the contract to expire and instead approved a $150,000 deal with Axon for 50 ALPR cameras. Privacy campaigners who had opposed Flock were not pleased with this decision.

Cooper Quintin, senior staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, emphasizes that while the pushback against Flock demonstrates communities' ability to limit surveillance companies, voluntary changes in products do not address the root cause of the problem. He stresses the need for judicial warrants for invasive searches like ALPR database queries and for policymakers to implement real protections into law.

While Flock has become a rallying point for the debate over the surveillance state, it is crucial to recognize that the real root of the problem lies in the unregulated use of this technology itself.