Flock Safety AI Surveillance Cameras Tech Concerns
Okay, you know how they say birds of a feather flock together? Well, some communities around the country are coming together to fight against what they say is a concerning form of surveillance. AI startup Flock Safety is building an army of police tech surveillance. They are most recognizable for their automatic license plate readers you may have heard of, which snap a picture of the car’s plate as it drives by. Police say the technology helps them solve crimes like kidnappings, murders, and stolen vehicles.
Flock Safety AI Surveillance Cameras Building Database Privacy Concerns
While this AI police tech, it has existed for some time, Flock Safety AI is now the first to centralize it into a single nationwide database that thousands of police departments can access at any time without a warrant. So we’re gonna bring in NBC News Cybersecurity and Tech reporter, Kevin Collier, who has been reporting on this story. Kevin, thanks for joining us. Walk us through the privacy concerns here that’s leading to some of this pushback.
Kevin Collier Goes Over Flock Safety AI Police Tech Surveillance Cameras Privacy Conserns
Right, so the US has had for years these surveillance cameras that record cars license plates as they drive by certain highways, spots, intersections in towns and cities, but what communities across the country are pushing back on now is that Flock Safety AI has for the first time created this centralized database where more than 3,000 law enforcement offices across the country are working together, sharing real time location information of everybody that drives by. None of them need a warrant to access it.
Speaking with Political Affiliations – Tracking People Constantly
So I spoke with half a dozen people from a range of political affiliations who are pushing back. There’s definitely something in the air. For some people, it’s this looming sense that as Flock Safety AI Police Tech Surveillance Cameras tracks us more and more, they’re getting sick and fed up of feeling like they’re being tracked. These Police Tech Surveillance Cameras are the biggest example of that. For others, it’s the reality that even though Flock Safety AI no longer contracts directly with the Department of Homeland Security, local police in sanctuary cities even have been using Flock Safety AI contracts to look up drivers’ locations on behalf of ICE Investigations and they want to stop their local police, their tax dollars from doing that.
Flock Safety AI Surveillance Cameras – Actually Crime vs Tracking Everyday People
I see it as investigations and they want to stop their local police, their tax dollars from doing that. I see you, Kevin. We know that this kind of police tech surveillance cameras is growing in popularity. It has been for some time. Do we know if it’s actually solving a significant amount of crimes and really helping police across the country?
I mean, yes, Flock has arranged and solved cases. We will have local police um come on and testify that, this police technology was helpful to close an investigation. A spokesperson there told me that, despite the price tag, it’s a crucial tool for understaffed police departments in particular. uh They noted that, even though we noted more than half-a-dozen cities and towns in recent months have canceled their Flock Safety AI Police Tech Surveillance Cameras contracts over protests, far more have renewed those contracts.
How Common Flock Safety AI Police Tech Surveillance Cameras are in Towns and Cities
Something that I did find over the course of my reporting is that it’s extremely common for people in these cities and towns that have Flock Safety AI Surveillance Cameras set up. That happens before they realize their tax dollars are used for this police technology that even tracks them to begin with. So we’ll see how this shapes up as more and more people learn about it. Absolutely.
