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Senators Press Flock on Nationwide AI‑Searchable License‑Plate Network

Lawmakers say the system's searchable image archives create fresh privacy risks, prompting calls for federal rules and probes.

Overview

  • The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing, held Wednesday, Sept. 23, focused on Flock Safety's private camera network and showed lawmakers the scale and reach of its data.
  • Senators and witnesses say Flock operates roughly 120,000 cameras in 49 states that generate an estimated 20 billion vehicle images each month.
  • Flock acknowledged in written responses that its database can be searched by image and that customer agencies own search records and control retention, while the company declined to testify in person.
  • A witness described a wrongful‑identification case in which Lindsey Isaacs spent 13 days in jail after an AI search returned a false match, and a cybersecurity expert said Flock devices ran outdated Android software and exposed administrative access to live and stored footage.
  • The hearing has led to local contract reviews, state funding pauses and calls for federal oversight, with some outlets defending the cameras' public‑safety value and others urging limits on access, retention and security rules.