GoKawiil
Tech News
An Oviedo, Florida man, Evan Meyer, was charged with three felonies after cutting down and smashing what turned out to be a decoy Flock Safety camera. Police had installed the cheap 3D-printed replicas after real license-plate-reading cameras were stolen from a corridor between late July and early August, hoping to lure and catch vandals.
At a San Diego City Council budget meeting, DJ and activist Anthony Ralphs appeared as Darth Vader to satirize the city's renewed contract with surveillance firm Flock Safety, delivering a mock endorsement praising the technology's ability to track 'rebel scum.' The stunt, filmed and shared online, went viral across TikTok and Instagram, reaching millions of viewers. Ralphs, who has spent roughly a year opposing the San Diego Police Department's use of Flock's tools, later revealed his identity behind the mask to take credit for the performance.
Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley used a Fox News interview to urge critics to find a middle ground between privacy and public safety, as opposition to his company's AI camera network intensifies. The remarks follow a Washington Post investigation that uncovered dozens of cases of police misusing Flock's surveillance tools, including to track women, prompting Langley to issue a public apology earlier this month.
A tech writer covering Flock Safety's AI license plate cameras outlines simple visual cues to identify the company's devices amid growing public confusion. The guide highlights Flock's distinctive oval, hooded camera shape with a circular lens as the clearest identifying feature, distinguishing it from competitors like Obvio and other traffic cameras. The piece also criticizes crowdsourced tracking apps like DeFlock for spreading inaccurate information about camera locations.
Georgia's GBI arrested three former Savannah Police Department officers and one former civilian staffer for improperly accessing Flock Safety's license plate reader network for non-law-enforcement purposes. The officers face two counts of misuse of a license plate reader system plus a violation of oath of office charge, while the civilian employee faces two misuse counts. Savannah PD uncovered the abuse through an internal audit, fired the individuals, and referred the case to state investigators.
Garrett Langley, CEO of surveillance firm Flock Safety, has been giving media interviews urging a 'compromise' between privacy and public safety as scrutiny of his company's cameras and license plate recognition tools intensifies. The pushback follows a Washington Post investigation citing 46 cases of police officers allegedly misusing Flock's technology to track partners or exes, prompting Langley to apologize while denying his company caused the abuse.