I was very disappointed reading the outdated criticisms being spread on losgatan.com of Flock without checking into them further.
For example, a reference suggesting that 35 customer accounts had been stolen is both old news and was due to the customer’s poor security practices of not using multi-factor authentication.
The accounts were reportedly compromised via “infostealer” malware, which steals usernames and passwords from a user’s device. And now, Flock has enabled MFA by default for new accounts and says almost all of its law enforcement customers have activated this feature to prevent similar credential-based attacks.
So, the issue was not due to Flock being hacked, but because of the poor practices of users.
A survey of Saratoga Woods residents showed that around 85% of respondents highly value the security that the Flock system has provided for our neighborhood. The data clearly shows the reductions in crime in our neighborhoods.
Do not throw the baby out with the bathwater!
Residents have voted for the Flock system. Residents have paid for the system. The vast majority of residents expect it to be reinstated promptly.
If there is some issue that I am not aware of that needs to be addressed, then fix that issue, and get it back online protecting our homes.
I will only be supporting Council members who move quickly to get it back online.
Phil Sutterlin
Saratoga
*Letters are edited for length and clarity.
