US senators target Flock cameras in hearing on police surveillance

In short: US senators held a hearing that put Flock Safety’s license plate camera network under a harsh spotlight, even though its CEO did not testify.

What happened

A US Senate Judiciary subcommittee held a hearing Wednesday about Flock Safety and other companies that sell police surveillance systems. Flock is best known for cameras that read license plates, then let police search where a car has been. These are often called ALPRs, short for automated license plate readers (think of them as camera scanners for plates).

Senator Josh Hawley, the subcommittee chair, singled out Flock by name. He said that even if most people have not heard of the company, it may have information about them through license plate scans.

The CEOs of Flock and other companies, including Axon, Motorola Solutions, and Verkada, declined to testify, according to Hawley. Instead, the hearing heard from cybersecurity and legal experts, a sheriff who said his department ended its Flock contract after what he described as unclear answers about the company’s AI use, and a Florida woman who said she spent 13 days in jail after her car was incorrectly linked to a crime scene by Flock cameras.

Verkada, another company in the space, said it does not run a national network that customers can search. A spokesperson said Verkada customers can only access data in their own systems.

Why it matters

Tools like these can help police find stolen cars or suspects, but they can also create detailed records of where people drive. Like a highway toll record that follows you around, these databases can raise privacy concerns. The hearing also highlighted a practical risk, mistakes that can lead to wrongful stops or arrests.

Source: The Verge AI