Flock Safety, a company providing automatic license plate reader (ALPR) technology, is facing bipartisan criticism as lawmakers warn that AI-powered cameras threaten privacy rights protected under the Fourth Amendment.

The controversy intensified following a recent incident in which a former Sarasota police officer was fired and arrested for allegedly misusing Flock camera technology to track a single license plate over 300 times. This case has fueled calls for legal safeguards to prevent unchecked surveillance.

A representative stated, "There's cameras everywhere, people know that, but if law enforcement has the ability to monitor the comings and goings of citizens, I think that's wrong. I mean, we're not the CCP, we're not 1984 and an Orwellian society, and Americans have rights."

The same representative added, "I don't think you're gonna be able to stop these cameras from being out there, but at the very least, there should be some type of legal parameters put in place to protect people's Fourth Amendment rights."

On the other side of the aisle, progressive Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) expressed opposition to Flock’s mass surveillance technology and pledged to support efforts in Congress to limit unchecked surveillance.

Flock Safety’s founder and CEO Garrett Langley defended the technology, telling Fox News' "Saturday in America" that it has helped police locate missing children at least twice, including after a recent carjacking in Atlanta.

Concerns about misuse have prompted efforts across the country, from Lansing, Michigan, to Bernadillo County, New Mexico, to reconsider or cut ties with Flock Safety. The debate highlights growing unease about the expanding capabilities of AI in public surveillance.

Sources