Flock banned tech YouTuber from its event, so his team Flocked it
If Punk’d was for nerds.
Flock license plate reader and camera with solar panel in California. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty.
- Flock Safety barred tech YouTuber Ben Jordan from its Flock Forward 2026 event, calling it closed to media.
- Jordan said a Flock employee canceled his hotel booking without his knowledge after denying him entry.
- Jordan’s team disrupted the event, captured attendee chatter, and filmed politicians, police, and senators with a drone.
- The dispute highlights public concern over Flock’s surveillance tools and alleged misuse by police officers.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Flock Safety stopped at nothing to ensure that the tech YouTuber wouldn’t be allowed anywhere near its event, but this soon backfired.
“Flock takes their privacy very seriously when profiting off the exploitation of yours. But that ethical gray area in surveillance technology works both ways,” said tech YouTuber Ben Jordan following a battle with Flock Safety.
Jordan recently uploaded a video to Instagram detailing how the surveillance company banned him and his team from attending its Flock Forward 2026 event.
What Jordan describes as Flock’s “police event” is marketed as a space “where leaders come together to shape the future of safety.”
Flock Forward brings “public safety leaders, security professionals, and invited partners” together in Atlanta, Georgia, for 3 days of “real cases, practical playbooks, and peer-led conversations,” according to Flock.
Jordan applied for a ticket, which requires filling out a form and paying $350.
While the form states that the event is “exclusively for law enforcement professionals and private sector partners,” attendees are still required to pay $350 plus accommodation per person.
It’s unclear as to whether this note was added to the ticket request form after the incident with Jordan.
Cybernews has reached out to Ben Jordan for comment.
Flock later sent Jordan an email, explaining that he would not be attending as the event was “closed to the Media.”
A Flock employee later contacted the hotel Jordan had booked when planning to attend the event and canceled the room without his knowledge.
Flock ultimately identified Jordan as a threat and clearly didn’t want him anywhere near the building.
So, his team set up a bunch of tech to interfere with the company’s event and even managed to capture Flock attendee chatter on microphones they forgot to switch off.
Jordan then flew his drone and captured images of politicians, police, and senators in attendance.
Flock is evolving, and Americans want to stop it
Flock Safety’s AI, license plate readers, and other technology have been used by authorities in arguably the least safe way possible.
Countless stories of police officers misusing the tech to illegally search people and stalk women demonstrate what can happen if powerful tech falls into the wrong hands.
The general public has expressed its outrage, with some claiming to purge Flock cameras on Halloween night, using 3D prints to blind them, and other creative ways people are avoiding surveillance cameras.
Flock even has ambitions to turn Uber and Lyft cars into mobile surveillance vehicles, with 350,00 vehicles and delivery drivers being earmarked for surveillance.
