Senate panel to examine Flock Safety's AI surveillance network amid privacy backlash
The U.S. Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, chaired by Sen. Josh Hawley, will hold a hearing on Flock Safety's AI-powered license plate readers and data-sharing practices. Hawley invited CEOs from Flock, Axon, Motorola Solutions, and Verkada to testify; Verkada's CEO declined. The hearing follows an August investigation into Flock's data collection, which Hawley says captures mostly innocent Americans in a searchable national database. FBI Director Kash Patel testified the cameras are locally deployed and the FBI accesses data case-by-case. A poll found 41% of Americans view Flock cameras unfavorably.
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Senate to hold hearing on Flock Safety's AI surveillance network and license plate data sharing
The U.S. Senate is scheduled to hold a hearing today at 2:30 p.m. ET to examine Flock Safety's nationwide AI-powered surveillance network. The hearing will focus on how the company accesses and shares Americans' license plate data, raising questions about privacy and data governance. The event represents a direct legislative scrutiny of AI surveillance technology and its implications for civil liberties.
Sen. Josh Hawley summons Flock Safety CEO to testify before Congress over privacy concerns
Senator Josh Hawley has issued a summons for the CEO of Flock Safety, a company known for its AI-powered license plate recognition and surveillance cameras, to testify before Congress. The summons is driven by growing privacy and security concerns surrounding the company's technology and its widespread deployment by law enforcement agencies. The hearing aims to scrutinize Flock Safety's data collection practices, potential civil liberties implications, and the broader impact of automated surveillance on American communities. This development marks a significant escalation in congressional oversight of private surveillance technology companies.
Read sourceSenate panel to hold hearing on Flock cameras amid privacy backlash over AI surveillance
The Senate Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, chaired by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., will hold a hearing on Wednesday focused on Flock Safety's automated license plate readers and other surveillance technologies. Hawley invited CEOs from Flock Safety, Axon Enterprise, Motorola Solutions, and Verkada to testify, though Verkada's CEO declined. The hearing follows an August investigation by Hawley into Flock's collection and use of data from its AI-powered cameras, which he says captures millions of innocent Americans in a searchable national database. FBI Director Kash Patel testified earlier this week that the cameras are deployed by local jurisdictions and the FBI only accesses data on a case-by-case basis. A Data for Progress poll found 41% of Americans view Flock cameras unfavorably. Privacy concerns have been heightened by reports of police officers misusing camera data to stalk individuals. At least four bipartisan bills have been introduced in the House addressing automated license plate readers.
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Senate panel to hold hearing on Flock cameras amid privacy backlash over AI surveillance
The Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, chaired by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., will hold a hearing on Wednesday focused on automated license plate readers from Flock Safety and other surveillance firms. Hawley invited CEOs of Flock, Axon Enterprise, Motorola Solutions, and Verkada to testify, though Verkada's CEO cannot attend. The hearing follows an August investigation by Hawley into Flock's data collection and retention practices, which he says create a national database searchable by customers, capturing mostly innocent Americans. A Data for Progress poll found 41% of respondents view Flock cameras unfavorably. Privacy concerns have been heightened by reports of police officers misusing data to stalk individuals. FBI Director Kash Patel testified that the cameras collect publicly available information and the FBI partners on a case-by-case basis. At least four bipartisan bills on license plate readers have been introduced in the House. Sens. Schiff and Wyden also pressed Flock on preventing system misuse.
Senate panel to hold hearing on Flock cameras amid privacy backlash
The Senate Judiciary Committee's subpanel on Crime and Counterterrorism, chaired by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., will hold a hearing on Wednesday focused on automated license plate readers made by Flock Safety and other surveillance firms. Hawley invited CEOs of Flock Safety, Axon Enterprise, Motorola Solutions, and Verkada to testify; Verkada's CEO declined but is providing information. The hearing follows an investigation Hawley launched in August into Flock's data collection practices, which he says capture 'the overwhelming majority of Americans' who did nothing wrong. A Data for Progress poll found 41% of respondents view Flock cameras unfavorably. FBI Director Kash Patel testified that the cameras are locally deployed and the FBI only partners on a case-by-case basis. At least four bipartisan House bills address automated license plate readers. Sens. Adam Schiff and Ron Wyden also pressed Flock on preventing system misuse.