ACLU's Jay Stanley says Flock's changes do not get to the heart of what its system does
Jay StanleySenior policy analyst at the ACLU, interviewed by WBRZ in Baton Rouge
Jay Stanley of the ACLU told WBRZ that Flock's changes were very minor steps, in some cases small steps in the right direction, that do not get to the heart of what the system does. He said the pressure on the company should continue.
Responding to
Flock's August 2026 safeguards meaningfully address privacy and misuse concerns about its license-plate reader network.
“Flock is feeling the heat, and I think that these kind of hand-wavy changes are an attempt to make some of those changes go away, but the heat should not go away, because they don't really get to the heart of what this system does”
Interview
Where this statement fits
Did Flock Safety's August 2026 privacy safeguards address concerns about its camera network?
Flock Safety announced new controls for its license-plate reader network on August 13, 2026. The ACLU said a shorter default retention period might help but argued that the broader package left major privacy risks unresolved. The dispute concerns the adequacy of Flock's safeguards, not whether the company announced them.
Source and context
Interview
About this source
WBRZ in Baton Rouge reports Flock's recommended seven-day retention period and quotes Flock CEO Garrett Langley, Chief Morse of the Baton Rouge Police Department and Jay Stanley of the ACLU.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
WBRZ reported that Flock was recommending that the default retention period drop from 30 days to seven and was requiring its law enforcement customers to adopt audit assistance and case codes for searches. The station reported that Stanley called the changes very minor steps, in some cases a small step in the right direction.
After the quotation
In the same report, Flock CEO Garrett Langley said about 90% of investigative searches happen within seven days and acknowledged that the shorter default would mean solving fewer crimes.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether Flock's August 2026 safeguard package (a seven-day default retention period, Evidence Mode, offense-based sharing limits, mandatory Audit Assistance, proactive lockouts and case codes) addresses privacy and misuse concerns about its plate-reader network. Stanley allows that some changes are small steps in the right direction but calls them an attempt to relieve pressure that does not reach the heart of what the system does. Condemns fits because his judgment is that the changes fall short. Minimizes is the closest competing label; it loses because he does not downplay the privacy concerns but says the changes fail to meet them.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Flock Safety
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- ACLU's Jay Stanley says Flock's changes do not get to the heart of what its system does
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The Dispute Index. "ACLU's Jay Stanley says Flock's changes do not get to the heart of what its system does". First published: 2026-11-10. Last updated: 2026-11-10. https://disputeindex.com/events/8530-jay-stanley-of-the-aclu-told-wbrz-that