Hawley rips Flock’s sprawling surveillance web as Texas cities cut cameras over privacy and data fears

Senator Josh Hawley is investigating Flock Safety’s expansive network of AI-powered cameras, which he claims has created a searchable national database of Americans’ movements. This comes as multiple cities, particularly in Texas, have recently terminated their contracts with Flock due to mounting privacy and data security concerns. While Flock maintains its technology aids law enforcement in solving crimes, critics argue the extensive data collection infringes on constitutional privacy rights.

• Sen. Josh Hawley is investigating Flock Safety’s network of over 120,000 AI-powered cameras due to privacy concerns.
• Hawley alleges Flock has created a national database of Americans’ movements, processing over 20 billion vehicle scans monthly.
• Several Texas cities, including Pflugerville and Hood County, have ended their contracts with Flock over data sharing and potential misuse.
• Critics argue that the technology enables warrantless searches of past movements, violating Fourth Amendment rights.
• Flock Safety states it will respond to Hawley’s inquiries and highlights safeguards and law enforcement use for solving crimes and finding missing persons.
• Tempe, Arizona, has also discontinued its use of Flock cameras, citing risks associated with automated license plate reader systems.
• Experts emphasize the need for constitutional safeguards for all license plate reader technologies, not just Flock’s.