Article URL: https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2026/07/17/flock-ceo-sorry-for-labelling-activists-terrorists/ Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48951595…

For the last two years, Will Freeman has been advocating against Flock Safety, an $8.3 billion surveillance company that tracks vehicles with a network of over 80,000 cameras. His organization, DeFlock, crowdsourced a map that shows where the company’s cameras are located, and helps local grassroots movements organize against Flock deployments. In an interview with Forbes last year, Flock CEO Garrett Langley described DeFlock as a “terroristic organization.” But now, as Flock faces an increasingly vitriolic public backlash, Langley says he regrets that label. “My comments were a mistake and I apologize,” he says. “There are groups today that have real valid criticisms of the business, and I think what's changed for us is, as we've listened to them and heard them out, what we're trying to do is find this balance. We believe in a world where we can have safety and privacy.” The anti-Flock movement has picked up steam recently thanks to reports of ICE’s access to the company’s cameras, a brief partnership with Amazon’s Ring that ended after a public outcry about an especially creepy Superbowl ad, and recent stories of cops using Flock to stalk women. Even celebrities are starting to speak out. UFC fighter Sean Strickland posted earlier this month on X, “To the legends out there destroying Flock cameras, I just want you to know America salutes you.” On Wednesday, Tucker Carlson claimed Flock was helping build “the largest mass surveillance operation in history” and called Langley a “douchebag billionaire.” Langley says he doesn’t pay attention to the online chatter about him. “No, we do not work with ICE,” Langley tells Forbes. He emphasized that Flock only retains data on cars for 30 days, unless a local government customer demands otherwise. In Washington state, the company keeps data for 21 days, per a recently-enacted local law. Langley says he welcomes such regulation, as it guides the company on what the community wants when it comes to privacy. “What’s changed in the business in the last year is an acknowledgement that we don't have all the answers,” he says. He’s also accepted DeFlock’s mapping of its cameras. “Assuming no one is committing a crime, it’s perfectly fine.” Freeman says it’s “awesome” Langley has apologized. “I’m also just an American who values safety,” he says. “I just don’t think mass surveillance is the way to go about it.” “There’s a lot of organizations doing really good work, even if it's critical of what I'm doing.” Langley’s comments are in sharp contrast to Flock’s previous stance on activist groups organizing against it. The company tried to shut down DeFlock in the past, sending cease and desist letters to the group in early 2025. It’s also gone after HaveIBeenFlocked, an unaffiliated website that helps people learn if their vehicle has been tracked by the company’s cameras. Flock claimed the site hosted identifying information of officers in live investigations and posed a threat to their safety. In December last year, Langley lambasted anti-Flock activist groups in emails to customers, saying they “want to defund the police, weaken public safety, and normalize lawlessness” and are “trying to turn a public records process into a weapon against you and against us.”