Larsen's Son Pressures Him to Abandon Flock Surveillance Funding
Crypto billionaire Chris Larsen revealed in an interview at San Francisco's Pier 27 that his 19-year-old son is pressuring him to drop support for Flock surveillance technology amid growing backlash.
Larsen donated $9.4 million to the SFPD in 2025 to expand its Real-Time Investigation Center, which includes automated license-plate readers, drones, surveillance cameras, and other tools.
He acknowledged that support for surveillance technology was stronger one or two years ago but has since grown alongside the national 'DeFlock' movement. Larsen suggested restrictions could be implemented in San Francisco, including reducing the amount of time the police department keeps Flock footage from a year to 30 days.
Larsen also discussed his push for clearer cryptocurrency regulations, pointing to his four-year legal battle with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over whether cryptocurrencies are treated as securities or commodities. He considers this the biggest unresolved issue facing the industry and believes determining which oversight body has jurisdiction would help create clearer rules.