Flock surveillance backlash mounts as fiendish Halloween plans circulate

Flock's surveillance technology has faced backlash as plans circulate for Halloween vandalism. The company's network of ALPRs (automated license plate readers) has been criticized for mass surveillance and retention of location data. After CEO Garrett Langley apologized for documented abuses of the system, The Register reached out to Flock about an online campaign calling for the destruction of ALPRs on Halloween.

Flock's media team responded with an automated message. Reports suggest ICE agents have accessed local police Flock systems, and some police officers have used the technology to stalk former partners. This week, US social media users promoted a "De-Flock America" campaign with the 2026 Halloween date. The campaign encourages participants to vandalize Flock's ALPRs while concealing their identities.

Flock CEO Langley apologized for a woman being stalked using the company's ALPR system and announced changes, including reducing data retention from 30 days to seven days. New controls allow police agencies to restrict searches that outside forces can run against their data. Flock will also require customers to enable its Audit Assistance feature, which detects unusual search activity and flags it for review.

The tool has been associated with arrests of several law enforcement officers who allegedly abused the system. More than a third of Flock's customers have opted in to Audit Assistance so far.