Concerns Over Surveillance Technology Remain Unaddressed by Senate Leaders
Senate leaders from both parties haven’t taken concrete steps to legally address the surveillance issues linked to Flock Safety and similar companies. On Sunday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Flock Safety to delete any unrelated data collected by their technologies. He sought clarification on the amount of information stored on their servers and whether any federal entities had accessed this data. However, he did not threaten a subpoena to obtain the information. In contrast, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Majority Whip John Barrasso have not taken a firm position against such technology or indicated any intention to use legal measures against these companies, which could impact Americans’ due process rights.
In his letter, Schumer expressed concerns regarding the lack of transparency surrounding the contracts Flock Safety holds and how law enforcement utilizes the collected information. He emphasized, “A company can’t just come in and collect personal information about our entire lives and not answer any questions about it. Any federal agency using this network to track Americans exercising their rights in our own state is unacceptable.” He also pointed out the irony of Flock’s claim that their data was secure when it was recently compromised by hackers.
Despite these concerns, Schumer opted not to threaten the company with a subpoena for further information. Meanwhile, Thune and Barrasso have not criticized Flock or advocated for any laws to regulate or ban the surveillance cameras. Thune mentioned he supports some regulations on artificial intelligence but avoided specifying if that includes automated license plate readers (ALPRs).
Hawley, the Republican senator from Missouri, initiated an investigation into Flock cameras and conducted a hearing regarding mass surveillance technologies, though none of the tech company leaders, including Langley, attended. He did not provide comments regarding the leadership’s muted response to Flock’s practices.
Some troubling cases have highlighted the potential risks of these surveillance cameras. For instance, a Florida resident, Lindsey Isaacs, spent over a week in jail based on the erroneous linking of her vehicle to a fatal incident. Additionally, charges were laid against a Milwaukee officer for misuse of license plate information, and in another incident, an innocent driver in Wisconsin was held at gunpoint due to a camera error.
As of now, Congress has not seen any proposals to outright ban Flock cameras or other ALPRs. While Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna indicated plans for such a bill, no draft has surfaced. In contrast, some Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, introduced the Ban Flock Act aimed at restricting federal operations concerning ALPRs without outright banning them. Similarly, Republican Rep. Tim Burchett proposed the Protection Against Mass Surveillance Act to limit federal agency access to ALPRs, allowing local use under certain conditions. Additionally, Rep. Thomas Massie introduced The Flock-Off Act to prevent federal expenditure on these technologies, while permitting locally funded systems to operate as they are.
