In recent weeks, Flock Safety’s national network of automated license plate readers has come under intense scrutiny, culminating in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday to interrogate the company’s practices and handling of Americans’ location data.
The hearing follows reports that police officers have misused camera data to track people — including, in one case, an ex-romantic partner — and that Flock collects license plate records into a national database, searchable with AI tools. As a result, more than 200 cities and counties have canceled or deactivated their Flock contracts.
In August, Data for Progress polling found that voters viewed the cameras unfavorably by a -19-point margin. One month later, that deficit has grown to -29 points, with 52% now unfavorable.
Awareness has grown as well. In August, 37% of voters hadn’t heard enough about the technology to provide an opinion, while only 24% say the same in the newest polling.
