Washington — A Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism is set to hold a hearing titled “Always Watching: Flock’s Nationwide AI Surveillance Network” on Sept. 23. The hearing will feature CEOs of four companies that provide AI‑driven license‑plate readers, including Garrett Langley of Flock Safety, Rick Smith of Axon Enterprise, Greg Brown of Motorola Solutions, and Filip Kaliszan of Verkada.

Lawmakers raise privacy concerns

Subcommittee Chairman Sen. Josh Hawley (R‑Mo.) said Americans “do not surrender their privacy rights when they drive to work, drop their kids off at school, or go to church.” He said the committee will investigate who has access to the “hundreds of millions of Americans’ data” collected by these systems and how it is being used.

Lawmakers and several governors have called for investigations into alleged privacy violations tied to AI‑backed surveillance cameras that automatically track and identify vehicles and license plates for local law‑enforcement use.

State actions and federal response

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered the removal of all license‑plate reader cameras from state roads, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed state agencies to stop spending state money on Flock Safety cameras. Despite these actions, President Donald Trump told reporters that he supports the use of Flock Safety cameras “because of law enforcement” and praised the assistance AI‑powered cameras provide to police.

The hearing comes as about 120,000 Flock Safety cameras operate in every state except Alaska, prompting a debate that cuts across the political spectrum. Republican critics focus on privacy rights, government overreach, and warrantless surveillance, while far‑left activists link the technology to broader opposition against artificial intelligence, law‑enforcement, and data‑center expansion.

Local opposition and broader context

Opposition groups, including the Party for Socialism and Liberation and the Sunrise Movement, have organized forums and protests linking AI surveillance cameras to data‑center projects, arguing both serve billionaire interests rather than everyday communities. These efforts have been joined by local coalitions such as “deFLOCK Tucson” and the “No Desert Data Center Coalition.”

The Senate hearing will examine whether AI surveillance should be allowed to track vehicle movements without a warrant or driver consent, and what safeguards might be needed to protect constitutional privacy rights while still supporting law‑enforcement effectiveness.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.