Senate panel to hold hearing on Flock cameras amid privacy backlash

By: Allison Mollenkamp

An aerial view, a Flock camera is seen on Monday in Burbank, Calif. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Flock cameras are facing renewed scrutiny in the Senate as a privacy backlash against the law enforcement technology intensifies.

The Senate Judiciary Committee’s subpanel on Crime and Counterterrorism will hold a hearing on Wednesday focused on automated license plate readers, subcommittee Chairman Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced Friday.

Hawley invited the CEOs of Flock and three other surveillance and security-focused firms to testify at the hearing, though he did not specify whether the executives had agreed to appear.

In a statement, Hawley’s office said the following individuals were invited:

• Garrett Langley — Flock Safety
• Rick Smith — Axon Enterprise
• Greg Brown — Motorola Solutions
• Filip Kaliszan — Verkada

A spokesperson for Verkada confirmed that Kaliszan could not attend but said the company is providing information to the subcommittee. The spokesperson also emphasized that no national Verkada network exists and that customers “can only access the data in their own systems.”

Comment from the other companies was not immediately available.

Hawley posted the announcement on social media, writing that “Americans deserve answers.”

Background of the Investigation

The hearing follows Hawley’s announcement in August of an investigation into Flock’s “collection, retention, and dissemination of the data generated by its artificial intelligence surveillance cameras.”

“The overwhelming majority of the Americans captured in those records did nothing wrong,” Hawley said in a statement announcing the investigation. “Instead of serving discrete local investigations, as contemplated by our constitutional processes and safeguards, these camera networks harness artificial intelligence to pool what they capture into a national database that customers can search.”

Public Opinion and Privacy Concerns

A Data for Progress poll conducted in August found that 41 percent of respondents had an unfavorable view of Flock surveillance cameras, with similar percentages among Democrats (40 percent) and Republicans (39 percent).

The cameras have raised privacy concerns, including reports of police officers using data from the cameras to stalk individuals, such as ex-partners.

FBI Director’s Testimony

Earlier this week, FBI Director Kash Patel testified at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that the cameras are installed by local jurisdictions.

“They collect information, not the FBI, where there is no reasonable expectation of privacy, basically publicly available information,” he said. “Where the FBI partners with these individuals is on a case-by-case basis and not a rolling-access basis.”

Patel provided examples of the FBI’s use of data from license plate readers, including after a shooting at Brown University and in efforts to “chase down child predators.”

Legislative and Congressional Action

At least four bills have been introduced in the House related to the use of automated license plate readers. All are bipartisan or sponsored by Republicans.

Langley was also pressed this week by Sens. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) in a letter seeking information on Flock’s actions to “prevent system misuse of any kind.”

Hawley has been publicly skeptical of AI and privacy, including the use of personal data for “surveillance pricing.” He held a subcommittee hearing on that issue in August.

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