Flock Safety Faces National Backlash Over Mass Surveillance

AI-powered surveillance provider Flock Safety is facing a national backlash over allegations that its network of 120,000 automated license plate readers enables warrantless mass surveillance. Critics and security researchers claim the technology allows law enforcement to create detailed citizen profiles, with reports of rogue officers using data for stalking and agencies bypassing state laws to track immigration and abortion-related activities.

In response to lawsuits from the Institute for Justice and mounting public pressure, the company recommended reducing data retention from 30 days to seven. However, civil liberties groups dismiss these safeguards as insufficient. The controversy has entered the 2026 election cycle, with Tennessee Representative Tim Burchett introducing the Protection Against Mass Surveillance Act to bar federal access to such technology.

Legislative efforts to curb the technology have expanded to Ohio, where Senator Al Cutrona is drafting a bill to limit data storage to 10 days and ban third-party sharing. Additionally, Representatives Levi Dean and Tristan Rader have proposed the Ohio Freedom From Mass Surveillance Act to require warrants for AI-assisted camera use. Local opposition has also intensified in Athens, Ohio, and the Oviedo City Council in Florida is currently questioning company representatives regarding how outside agencies access local camera data.