{
  "id": 1744284,
  "title": "Who is Garrett Langley? Flock Safety CEO faces scrutiny over AI cameras",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/who-is-garrett-langley-flock-safety-ceo-faces-scrutiny-over-ai-cameras",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-08-18T15:10:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hindustan Times - World News",
    "slug": "hindustan-times-world-news",
    "url": "https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/who-is-garrett-langley-flock-safety-ceo-faces-scrutiny-over-ai-cameras-101787065369580.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Garrett Langley, a 38-year-old CEO and co-founder of Flock Safety, is the subject of scrutiny over his AI-powered license plate camera network. Born and raised in Atlanta, Langley studied electrical engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology before starting his career in various businesses. He founded Clutch, a car subscription service, and later developed an app called Experience, focusing on sports and concert experiences for users. In 2017, Langley collaborated with two Georgia Tech graduates to launch Flock Safety, after growing concerns about crime in Atlanta. The company's first camera was a basic setup using an Android phone inside a waterproof box that captured car and license plate images, which could be searched through an app.\n\nCurrently, Flock Safety operates over 120,000 cameras across the US, with the exception of Alaska, and has partnerships with thousands of law enforcement agencies. The AI-powered cameras read license plates, track vehicles, and provide police with the capability to search vehicle movements and investigate crimes, potentially reducing crime rates. However, Flock has faced significant criticism over privacy concerns due to its expansive surveillance network, which allows law enforcement and users to track people's movements. This backlash has led to at least 54 US cities canceling, rejecting, or not renewing their contracts with the company since the beginning of the year.\n\nLangley has defended Flock's technology, stating it is not a \"Big Brother\" surveillance system and emphasizing the company's focus on protecting people. The company has made some changes to address privacy concerns, such as introducing an audit tool for law enforcement searches and reducing data retention periods. However, privacy groups argue that these measures do not adequately address the core issue. A recent investigation by the Roseville Police Department in California found that Flock cameras incorrectly identified license plates in 71% of cases between 2023 and 2024, highlighting accuracy concerns and the potential for false matches. As a result, Langley finds himself at the center of a larger debate on balancing crime prevention and privacy rights.",
  "summary": "Garrett Langley, Flock Safety CEO, faces scrutiny over AI license plate cameras, privacy concerns, surveillance and accuracy issues across the US.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}