The photo in question was posted on the Instagram account for The Saturday Salon, a lecture series in Newport Beach, California. The letter appeared to be a legitimate cease and desist letter, but upon closer inspection, several red flags were raised. The letter’s title listed Flock Safety’s chief legal officer, Dan Haley, as the ‘Head of Legal Affairs Division,’ but his actual title is chief legal officer. Additionally, the email address listed on the letter bounced back when The Verge attempted to contact Haley. This suggests that the letter may have been forged, and that Flock Safety is not responsible for its contents.

Flock Safety’s chief strategy officer, Rahul Sidhu, has stated that the company never sent the letter and that it is an example of a mass disinformation campaign against Flock Safety. Sidhu emphasized that Flock Safety welcomes and encourages public debate about its technology and has not and would not seek to discourage, prevent, or prohibit such discussion and debate. In fact, the company would be happy to participate in any such discussions the group in question might host in the future.

Another apparent example of a forged letter was shared on Instagram by musician Noah Orion. The letter in question claimed that Orion had engaged in conduct involving the unauthorized dissemination of visual materials in a way that encouraged his fans to place stickers with a rude and unusual manner towards Flock Safety and its association. However, the letter also had several unusual characteristics, including identifying the company as Flock Cameras and Flock incorporated, and using the word ‘persecute’ instead of ‘prosecute.’

Orion has not yet replied to a request for comment. The Saturday Salon’s Schuyler Lifschultz has stated that the group would ‘love to have somebody from Flock Safety come in and tell their views and give a lecture.’ The group is politically neutral and not a business, and it welcomes the opportunity to engage in discussions about Flock Safety’s technology.

The controversy surrounding Flock Safety’s alleged cease and desist letters has sparked widespread criticism and debate. While the company has denied sending the letters, the incident highlights the importance of verifying information before sharing it on social media. It also underscores the need for companies like Flock Safety to be transparent and open about their technology and its potential applications.