Under surveillance in Oakland by Flock and the OPD

Under surveillance in Oakland by Flock and the OPD

Living in George Orwell’s 1984 “Big Brother” surveillance activities in Oakland

By Lynda Carson - August 13, 2026

Oakland, CA - If you are feeling paranoid in Oakland, you are not alone. Just try to imagine residing in Oakland, and the moment you step out of your apartment a camera mounted on the wall in the building where you reside is there to watch and record your every movement. As you step out the front door, to walk down the hill to Lake Merritt, there are building cameras (eyes) watching your every step as you walk along the sidewalks to Lake Merritt, or to stop at Lucky grocers on the way. No doubt about it, there are cameras watching your every move once you are inside Lucky grocers. If you take a public bus down the hill to Lake Merritt or decide to go downtown Oakland on a bus ride, there are cameras in the bus watching your every move. If you decide to drive to downtown Oakland, there are Flock surveillance cameras tracking you and the car you are in, while you are under surveillance by the OPD.

Welcome to George Orwell’s version of 1984 in Oakland, whether you like it, or not.

In 1984, everyone was under surveillance 24/7. According to a June 6, 2024 article with the Smithsonian Magazine, in part it says, “In 1984, three totalitarian states rule the world in a détente achieved by constant war. The all-seeing Party dominates a grimly uniform society in the bloc called Oceania. As a low-level Party member, protagonist Winston Smith’s job is to rewrite historical records to match the ever-changing official version of events. As a Party slogan puts it, “Who controls the past controls the future: Who controls the present controls the past.”

At the time, little did the Smithsonian Institution know that in the very near future it would come under intense pressure to rewrite its historical records to match the ever-changing official version of events, according to the fascist convicted felon President Donald J. Trump. Just like in George Orwell’s Oceania in his story called 1984, the fascist convicted felon President Donald J. Trump wants to rewrite historical history at the Smithsonian Institution, to match his sick twisted bizarre ever-changing official version of past events in the U.S.A., and beyond.

Under surveillance in Oakland by Flock and the OPD.

Reportedly in December 2025, by KQED, the Oakland City Council is fully to blame for the Orwellian situation of having its citizens and visitors under surveillance by the Oakland Police Department (OPD) and Flock, and who ever Flock or the OPD may be sharing the camera surveillance footage with, at any given moment.

In part the KQED article says, “The Oakland City Council approved a new two-year contract with Flock Safety, overriding strong objections from privacy advocates who warned of the potential for federal surveillance.

The Oakland City Council voted Tuesday to expand the city’s network of automated license plate reader cameras, overriding strong objections from privacy advocates who warned the move could expose residents to federal surveillance.

The 7-1 vote approves a new two-year, $2.25 million contract with Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based technology firm that holds major contracts in over 40 Bay Area cities. It came at the end of a contentious meeting that drew more than 140 public speakers and stretched late into the evening.
The deal allows the Oakland Police Department to maintain its existing network of 291 cameras and add 40 new “pan-tilt-zoom” cameras to monitor high-traffic corridors and illegal dumping sites. The new terms go into effect immediately and prevent the existing camera network from going dark on Jan. 1, when the previous authorization was set to expire.”

Apparently, Councilmember Carroll Fife was the lone vote against the surveillance network deal with Flock and the OPD. It appears that the other double-crossing councilmembers were hoodwinked and brainwashed enough to sell out the residents of Oakland to an underhanded deal with Flock Safety that makes Oakland into “Sanctuary Police City” that is under surveillance.

Garrett Langley, Flock CEO, and Flock Safety a.k.a. Flock Group INC.

Flock Safety a.k.a. Flock Group INC., was founded in 2017 by Garrett Langley and Paige Todd. Flock Safety's board has 6 active members. Ilya Sukhar, David Ulevitch, Garrett Langley, Alex Clayton, Matt Feury and David Ulevich are independent board members.

According to the ACLU, “Flock's ALPR cameras aren't like your normal traffic cameras. This surveillance technology records and tracks every car that comes into view, and then an AI algorithm catalogs the make, model, color, license plate number, bumper stickers, and even scratches. This personal information is then uploaded into a nationwide database that any law enforcement agency with a Flock contract can search — with few regulations or oversight on how they use what they find.”

Reportedly, “Flock Safety faces multiple class-action and civil rights lawsuits across the U.S. over its automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras. Plaintiffs allege the company's AI-enabled mass surveillance networks violate state privacy laws, bypass restrictions on out-of-state and federal data sharing, and breach Fourth Amendment protections against warrantless searches.”

According to a July 2, 2026 release with the ACLU, in part it says, “Last year, reports revealed that, even in the absence of federal contracts, cooperating police officers and departments were regularly sharing Flock ALPR data and search results with immigration agencies like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and CBP. The company responded to the reports with a disingenuous blog entitled “Does Flock Share Data With ICE? No. Flock Does Not Work With ICE.” In its blog, the company pushed back by asserting that “ICE does not have direct access to Flock cameras, systems, or data” and that license data is “owned and controlled by the customer."

Flock knew that, despite not being a customer, ICE had indirect access to Flock’s data and system through the company’s state and local law enforcement customers. The issue was never about having direct access to Flock’s data, it was about having any access to the data. But rather than address these data security and control issues on their merits, Flock released a misleading blog which reads as an attempt to confuse the public and create a false sense of security among its potential government customers. Ultimately, Flock was forced to accept that its denials were simply not credible. The CEO admitted Flock was used for immigration enforcement but argued that such matters were not Flock’s problem.”

Reportedly, according to an August 13, 2026 article with the BBC, in part it says, “Flock cameras have been used by police to not only track former and current romantic partners, but in one case, even a woman who had had an abortion. Police across the US have quit or been fired for misuse of the technology. A man in Indiana recently told local news he found out through a public records request that police had set a Flock alert for his vehicle, despite not being suspected of any wrongdoing. At least 50 cities have this year cut ties with Flock due to a public backlash.”

In an August 14, 2026 report with ABC, in part it said, “Last week, The Washington Post reported that at least 50 officers had been accused, charged or convicted of using Flock’s system and other license-plate readers to spy on the unsuspecting -- in many cases stalking their girlfriends or former partners. After the investigation was published, The Post said it has confirmed more than a dozen additional cases.”

Garrett Langley and Flock public record’s reports.

Additionally, according to public records with the Secretary of State in California. Flock Group INC., Principal Executive Office Street Address: 2588 Winslow Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30305.

And according to public records with the Secretary of State in Georgia. Garrett Langley. CFO. 2588 Winslow Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30305, USA.

That’s right. Flock CEO, Garrett Langley, of Atlanta, GA, has his cameras spread across the city, placing Oaklanders’ under surveillance. Perhaps it may be a good idea to place some of his cameras in front of his home, in his home, and in his car, so the world can keep an eye on his activities. What do you think about that?

Flock lobbying activities in California. Flock hired the lobbying firm called LA VIGNE STRATEGIES, LLC, that is owned by SHANE LA VIGNE, ( shane [at] lavignestrategies.com ), in Sacramento, CA.

According to OpenSecrets, Flock Safety spent $920,000 lobbying in 2025, and Flock Safety spent $90,000 lobbying in 2024.

Additionally, according to public records, Garret Langley of Flock made two campaign contributions in 2024, to the Health Jobs Justice Committee ($1,000), founded by Senator Jon Ossoff, and $1,000 to the Ossoff Victory Fund.

With more than 120,000 AI-powered cameras across the U.S., in urban areas, rural areas, and in your neighborhoods, Flock Safety has become one the scariest and most creepiest surveillance companies operating in America.

Lynda Carson may be reached at newzland2 [at] gmail.com

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