Senators raise questions about privacy surrounding Flock cameras
Senators raise questions about Flock camera privacy
Senators raised questions about privacy and data access related to AI-powered surveillance cameras.
WASHINGTON - The debate over privacy concerns and AI-powered surveillance cameras reached Capitol Hill Wednesday as a Senate hearing turned the spotlight on companies like Flock and Axon.
What we know:
Arguments for and against the cameras have played out in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia. Recently, Arlington pulled down its Flock cameras, while Fairfax, D.C., Alexandria and others are trying to figure out next steps.
During Wednesday’s hearing, the issue crossed both sides of the aisle. The key question was: what is our data being used for and who has access to it?
"If you haven't heard of Flock, Flock has probably heard of you," said Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri). "You've probably been scanned and surveilled and tagged multiple times this week alone."
READ MORE | Arlington County to remove Flock cameras, end contract with company
"Amazon, I'm told, makes more money on the data they've collected on customers than they make on merchandise they sell," said Sen. Dick Durbin. (D-Illinois). "Hard to imagine, but that info is being sold regularly and collected constantly."
The hearing was spurred by Sen. Hawley, who wants to investigate Flock’s more than 120,000 cameras coast-to-coast. They are all connected and sharing data in the cloud.
Sen. Hawley had invited the CEOs of Flock, Axon, Motorola, and Verkada to testify. However, none of them showed up for the hearing.
What they're saying:
One woman from Florida shared emotional testimony about her arrest and spending two weeks in jail after Flock cameras falsely connected her vehicle to a deadly hit-and-run.
"I was terrified, facing the possibility of spending the rest of my life in prison for a crash that I knew I had not been involved in," said Lindsey Isaacs. "I did not know if I would ever get out of jail. At my lowest point, I did not want to be alive."
The group De-Flock Fairfax is pushing to get automatic license plate readers taken down.
"For this level of mass surveillance in Fairfax County and in any locality, there should be public comment, there should be buy-in from the community, and that never happened," said Matthew Lofgren of De-Flock Fairfax.
In D.C., police are investigating two potential cases of Flock camera misuse after alarms were raised by a councilmember. While MPD has used license plate readers for more than a decade, Flock cameras were only deployed in the District in 2025.
READ MORE | DC Police investigate 2 potential cases of Flock camera misuse amid councilmember's concerns
Meanwhile, law enforcement officials and supporters of Flock have touted how helpful the cameras have been as a crime-fighting tool.
A total of 49 states use Flock cameras, with Hawaii being the only exception.
The Source: Information in this article is from original FOX 5 DC reporting.