From dining table to mystery

Flock CEO Garrett Langley built the first license plate cameras in his Atlanta home, scratching his dining table with drill marks. A decade later, where the company assembles its cameras has become unclear.

Marketing claims fade away

For years, Flock publicly said its devices were made in the United States. Recent marketing materials no longer specify where cameras come from, and a US manufacturer quietly removed Flock from its website.

Nationwide backlash grows

Flock faces a protest movement that prompted dozens of local governments to stop using its cameras. Congress is considering legislation to cut federal funding to states that don't limit license plate reader use.

Supply chain stays hidden

While police say cameras deter crime, activists worry about tracking exes and sharing footage with immigration authorities. Flock's manufacturing supply chain has received little attention despite national security implications.

Asian components dominate

Import records show Flock increasingly brings cameras, radar systems, and components from Primax Electronics in Thailand. Primax is based in Taiwan but has manufacturing facilities in China and Thailand.

From Alibaba phones to scale

Early Flock prototypes used cameras ripped from Android phones bought on Alibaba, costing $200 to $300 total. The company assembled them in its corporate office, then moved to a WeWork-style warehouse in Atlanta around 2020.

Shifting to contract manufacturers

Over the next couple of years, Flock moved final assembly to contract facilities in North Carolina and Wisconsin operated by East West Manufacturing and Plexus. The company wanted to keep assembly in North America for security and customization.

Marketing claims get specific

In 2019, Flock said cameras were manufactured in the United States. By 2021, it specified assembly was done by Flock Safety in Atlanta, Georgia. A 2023 brochure called them designed and manufactured in the US.

Partner quietly distances itself

By May 2024, as backlash swelled, East West Manufacturing removed Flock from its website case studies. A LinkedIn video from late 2021 promoting East West's work for Flock remains online.

Current location unknown

WIRED could not determine where Flock's cameras are assembled now. A 2024 marketing presentation does not mention a location, and the company did not respond to detailed questions about its supply chain.

Transparency gap remains

Cris van Pelt, creator of the anti-Flock advocacy project Have I Been Flocked, says the lack of transparency about camera origins underscores a bigger problem. Tens of thousands of black boxes are installed on American roads with no real oversight.

“If any part of the supply chain is compromised, we would never know.”

Domestic assembly isn't enough

Matthew Guariglia of the Electronic Frontier Foundation says domestic manufacturing is no substitute for accountability over how surveillance systems are built, sold, and used. The multi-billion dollar surveillance industry isn't safer based on assembly location.

Drones get US factory

Flock opened a facility in Smyrna, Georgia in October 2023 to assemble drones and solar panels. US law restricts foreign-made drones, but no similar rules apply to license plate cameras.