Flock Safety camera concerns grow as CEO speaks out about being able to view feeds on the internet
The DeFlock movement continues to gather momentum, with further backlash against Flock Safety cameras. This comes as the network of automated license plate readers (ALPRs) grows across America, and there are concerns about their use of artificial intelligence as well as their potential to spy on us.
While the idea of Flock cameras is to aid law enforcement in catching criminals, the American Civil Liberties Union is worried that this kind of interconnected network is a way of tracking innocent citizens without needing a warrant.
What is the Flock Safety camera controversy?
There are further concerns about how data is stored, as well as minority groups being targeted. A landmark 2026 study from professors at Christopher Newport University claimed that majority-Black neighborhoods were being monitored at nearly four times the rate of majority-white neighborhoods.
Advert
DeFlock is vocally against the cameras and has even posted a map to reveal which states are the most monitored, while one congressional candidate was arrested for allegedly chopping them down.
Even though Flock Safety continues to promote the cameras as a way to combat crime, there have been further worries after a police officer was arrested amid accusations that he'd used them to track his ex-wife.
In fact, a review of media reports from the Institute of Injustice claims there have been at least 28 cases of law enforcement officers using Flock and other ALPR systems to stalk romantic partners.
Earlier in the year, Measured Collective reported that 60 of Flock's AI-powered Condor PTZ cameras were accessible online without the need for a login or password.
Researchers noted that they could watch live feeds, access administrator panels, and change configuration settings on the cameras themselves.
As devices have the ability to pan, tilt, and zoom, this was another point of contention, as well as the fact that you could download 30 days of archived footage.
Flock Safety CEO speaks out on camera concerns
Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley has spoken out about similar accusations that Flock cameras are still viewable online. Cybersecurity expert Benn Jordan is vocally against Flock cameras, even organizing a counter event to the company's annual conference in Atlanta.
The WSJ says around 100 people attended in the nearby city of Marietta, while another 1,000 viewed online. Jordan discussed experiments he's conducted with Flock cameras bought legally online, apparently being able to take control of one by repeatedly pressing a button.
He also claims he'd found a way to access a Flock camera online and broadcast its feed.
Atlanta-area resident Jason Hunyar was shocked to see Jordan's video showing the feed, immediately recognizing a suburban park he and his wife used to walk in when she was pregnant.
Adding to Jordan's worries, Hunyar says he's obtained audit logs from over 200 public-records requests, with Flock employees viewing cameras in the suburb of Dunwoody more than 1,000 times.
Standing a few dozen feet from kids at the playground, Hunyar mused: "I don’t really want my son to grow up in a world where he can be watched by anyone."
Speaking to the WSJ, Langley claims that Jordan's ability to view Flock cameras on the internet was due to faulty SIM cards from a supplier.
He says that .05% of Flock Safety cameras were affected and stated: "As soon as we were notified, by Benn’s YouTube video, we immediately fixed the problem. I appreciate him for finding that.”
Dunwoody’s police department is promoted as one of the most successful in using Flock in the USA, with its cameras even used for sales demonstrations.
Langley has also attributed this to Hunyar's findings, adding that it's stopped using the police department's cameras for demos: "That audit log that we were talking about earlier is why Jason’s aware of that. We provide critical public safety infrastructure for our customers, and we will never be done building safer and safer products."
As the discourse surrounding stationary cameras blazes on, others are looking ahead at plans to roll out a fleet of drones to aid police and fire departments. Skeptics have noted that while the Flock cameras remain stationary, drones are able to zip around without DeFlockers being able to keep track of them.