Scoop: Senate Republican investigates Flock cameras
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Sen. Josh Hawley at a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing in Washington on Aug. 6. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
The chair of a key Senate Judiciary subcommittee is launching an investigation into Flock Safety's "collection, retention, and dissemination of the data" from its AI-powered surveillance cameras, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The probe represents the highest level of backlash to date towards Flock cameras, which have rapidly evolved from the target of local governments and activists to a major national political issue.
- Members of Congress in both parties have raised concerns about the company's network of 120,000 cameras, which allow law enforcement to track the movement of vehicles.
- Some congressional candidates have begun to incorporate criticism of the surveillance tool into their messaging on AI and data centers, as Axios previously reported.
Driving the news: In a letter to Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley first obtained by Axios, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), the chair of the Judiciary subcommittee on crime and counterterrorism, wrote that Congress "never authorized the network your industry has built."
- "Your company's internal policies are, in practice, the only safeguards for hundreds of millions of Americans," he continued. "People across the country are now discovering that fact and demanding answers from their elected officials."
- The Republican senator pointed to recent incidents of alleged police misuse of Flock cameras and arrests made based on false positives as examples of concerning incidents that warrant investigation.
- The American public wants "to know who has access to their personal data and how," Hawley wrote, stating his probe "will seek those answers."
The other side: Flock Safety has defended its practices and said it is improving its privacy features, telling Axios' Astrid Galván it has been "listening to customers, communities, and civil liberties groups."
- Flock has also argued that the tool is being used for good, saying its cameras have aided roughly 1 million police investigations and helped find around 10,000 missing people.
- "We have received Senator Hawley's letter and appreciate the opportunity to provide the Subcommittee with additional information about Flock and our technology," Paris Lewbel, a spokesperson for Flock Safety, said in a statement to Axios.
- Lewbel added: "We will be responding directly to the questions raised and we look forward to working with Senator Hawley and the Subcommittee to provide additional context about how our technology works, the safeguards built into our platform, and how law enforcement agencies use Flock to solve crime and find missing people."
The details: Hawley is demanding Langley turn over documents related to the company's policies around law enforcement access, camera placement and data handling.
- The senator wants a list of "any known or suspected misuse of Flock systems" since 2021, as well as files on Flock cameras' accuracy, security and any other data besides license plate information they may collect.
- He is also seeking documentation on Flock Safety's agreements and contracts with local governments, as well as their revenue sources and investors.
The bottom line: The letter is just a request, but Hawley could seek a subpoena to force the production of documents and testimony if Langley refuses to comply.
- He would need the assent of Democratic leadership on his subcommittee, but that is not out of the question given the bipartisan nature of this issue.
