Flock's chief executive defends its surveillance cameras amid a backlash

Garrett Langley, who founded Flock, a maker of licence plate cameras and other recording devices, spoke in San Francisco on Wednesday as criticism has led to cancelled contracts and layoffs.

“If we want to live in a society where, if you commit a crime, you have a higher probability of being held accountable, we shouldn't pause progress.”

— Garrett Langley, Flock CEO

Flock cameras do not perform facial recognition, though they can detect and track people; Langley said one customer cancelled after believing they did.

Langley said ethics are for cities to decide: Flock will offer recommendations and defaults but keep mandated features and policies to a minimum.