The heads of top surveillance companies will face a Senate panel Wednesday headed by Sen. Josh Hawley, a leading critic of spy cameras.
The Missouri Republican invited the CEOs of Flock Safety, Axon, Motorola and Verkada to testify in front of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism regarding his probe into the companies’ use of citizens’ personal data.
Over the past month, Mr. Hawley has penned letters to the companies’ leaders, first to Flock Safety, whose artificial intelligence-powered cameras and automated license plate readers have generated bipartisan scrutiny over privacy and misuse concerns.
In August, the senator launched a formal investigation into Flock, demanding details on how the company collects, retains and shares data from its network of over 120,000 cameras across 49 states.
“However, Flock does not stand alone in this industry; you and others are building large camera networks, assisted by artificial intelligence, that intrude on the privacy of all Americans,” he wrote in a Sept. 3 letter.
His investigation highlights reports of law enforcement abuse, data security vulnerabilities and instances where the AI technology misidentified individuals or was improperly used to monitor citizens.
The lawmaker argues that companies have built an unprecedented national surveillance web that tracks everyday Americans not suspected of any crime.
“Americans deserve answers,” Mr. Hawley said on social media Friday.
He’s far from alone in his quest to crack down on Flock. Numerous public officials on both sides of the aisle have expressed worry over its surveillance cameras or have outright banned them.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, suspended state funding for automated license plate readers, and Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis called the cameras “out of control.”
Multiple lawmakers — including Reps. Tim Burchett, Tennessee Republican; Thomas Massie, Kentucky Republican; and Raja Krishnamoorthi, Illinois Democrat; plus Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vermont independent — have introduced legislation, or have pledged bills, to rein in the technology.
The rare bipartisan backlash has not caught up to President Trump, who supports the cameras for catching criminals.
He acknowledged that some people view them as an infringement on freedom, but insisted that he likes them because they help police fight crime.
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