US senators question Flock’s license plate surveillance

US senators from both parties raised concerns about Flock’s automated license plate readers at a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing on Wednesday. The company’s CEO and the CEOs of Axon, Motorola Solutions and Verkada declined to testify, according to subcommittee chair Josh Hawley. The hearing instead heard from cybersecurity and legal experts, a sheriff whose department ended its Flock contract, and a Florida woman who said she spent 13 days in jail after Flock cameras incorrectly linked her car to a crime scene.

Lawmakers questioned how Flock stores its images and how easily officers can search its data. Cybersecurity engineer Benn Jordan said he had previously accessed the system with minimal technical effort. He said Flock’s security had improved since a year earlier, after he was granted broader access to evaluate it, but that problems across the industry remained. Flock said it had addressed the earlier incident.

Senators also raised concerns that license plate reader data could be used to track people who have not been accused of crimes. Democrats asked how federal immigration authorities could be prevented from accessing the data, including through local officers. Sen. Cory Booker asked about tracking people crossing state lines for reproductive care. Hawley said similar concerns could apply to gun owners.

Verkada spokesperson Virginia Ramsey said customers cannot search a national Verkada network because none exists; they can access only data in their own systems. Hawley said he wants to hear directly from the CEOs, but a subpoena would require a full committee vote. He said he had not discussed that with Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley.