Residents in the Atlanta suburb of Dunwoody discovered that employees from Flock had accessed the town’s surveillance feeds to showcase the company’s product to law‑enforcement buyers. The footage came from cameras in a children’s gymnastics room, a playground, a school, the Marcus Jewish Community Center, and a pool. The reveal sparked a backlash from residents and activists.

Jason Hunyar, a Dunwoody resident, filed a public records request that yielded Flock’s access logs. The logs confirm that authorized staff used city cameras during product demos, even in sensitive locations. Hunyar’s post, titled “Why Are Flock Employees Watching Our Children?”, framed the incident as a privacy breach, prompting city officials to question the company’s transparency.

In response, Flock released a statement claiming the demos were part of a signed demo‑partner program and that the company maintains public records of all access. It emphasized that its engineers only debug issues with city‑approved permission and that no private data is shared. The company also pledged to limit future demos to public spaces such as retail parking lots.

The incident underscores the tension between law‑enforcement technology vendors and community privacy concerns. While Flock argues that its transparency logs protect users, residents fear that demo access in sensitive venues could expose children and private gatherings to surveillance. The city’s decision to renew the contract despite the controversy signals a broader debate over the acceptable limits of public‑safety tech.