Sen. Hawley Opens Formal Probe of Flock Safety's License-Plate Network

Flock Safety, which operates an AI-powered license-plate recognition network used by police departments across the U.S., is under formal Senate investigation over its data collection, retention, and sharing practices. Sen. Josh Hawley, chair of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on crime and counterterrorism, sent a letter to Flock CEO Garrett Langley demanding details about the company's data practices, contending that Congress 'never authorized the network your industry has built.' Civil rights groups found New York police searched Flock data on ICE's behalf, sometimes obscuring immigration-related reasons in their queries. Multiple police officers used Flock camera access to track and harass ex-partners. Politicians including Sen. Bernie Sanders and Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed have publicly criticized the company. Langley defended the company on X, saying 'We believe in the constitution at Flock,' and announced new guardrails against misuse. Flock also announced privacy policy updates that critics described as 'window dressing.' Flock Safety claims its cameras have aided roughly 1 million police investigations and helped locate around 10,000 missing people. The company said it welcomed the opportunity to provide the subcommittee with information about its technology.