00:00Drivers across America have no idea they're being surveilled, whether or not they're suspected
00:04of committing a crime.
00:06The controversial cameras that are being used in the widespread surveillance and which now
00:10blanket the country have sparked heated outrage, even leading to online movements dedicated
00:16to destroying the rising technology.
00:18Tens of thousands of automated license plate readers or ALPRs have popped up in cities
00:24and towns nationwide.
00:25The cameras, which are promoted for making us safer, capture images and log the details
00:30of every passing vehicle, including license plates, dents, bumper stickers, and roof racks,
00:37before sharing the information to a vast database with law enforcement agencies and other organizations
00:43like businesses, schools, and HOAs.
00:46The largest company at the center of this fast-growing technology, Flock Safety, has drawn intense
00:52criticism over concerns of invasion of privacy.
00:55As more Americans start to take notice and public outrage grows, a new bill has been proposed
01:00to strip federal funding from any local governments or police departments that deploy the controversial
01:06security cameras.
01:08The bill, announced by Representative Thomas Massey, was introduced in an effort to strengthen
01:12the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable searches and government surveillance.
01:18The Kentucky Republican wrote on X,
01:20I'll soon be sponsoring a bill to withhold federal money from municipalities and police departments
01:25that deploy Flock and other-style cameras to surveil law-abiding citizens.
01:30Flock has quietly become law enforcement's go-to surveillance tool around the country and
01:35has already wired itself into more than 5,000 police agencies nationwide, with nearly 90,000
01:41cameras since 2018, according to DeFlock, an activist group tracking the company's surveillance
01:47and expansion.
01:49Flock has said that the cameras are a vital tool in helping modern-day police solve crimes,
01:54recover stolen vehicles, locate gunshots, track fleeing suspects, and issue AMBER alerts.
02:01But critics claim that the cameras serve as the local government's Big Brother-style mass
02:05surveillance, with billions of monthly plate reads flowing into police databases shared across
02:11agencies each month.
02:13There has also been a growing movement of anti-Flock vigilantes across the country, vandalizing
02:18the cameras in their hometowns.
02:21Flock Safety has acknowledged public concerns over privacy and claims safeguards are implemented
02:26to ensure accountability for use of the technology.
02:29The company also estimates it has supported more than 1 million investigations, assisted in
02:3420% of all solved cases and jurisdictions that partner with it, and has helped locate more
02:39than 10,000 missing people to date.
02:42A spokesperson for Flock Safety told The Post that Massey's bill would have real consequences
02:47for public safety.
02:48We do not have to choose between protecting privacy and giving law enforcement the tools
02:53it needs to keep communities safe, the representative added.
02:56We can, and should, do both.
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