Trump has for the first time explicitly expressed his support for Flock Safety AI surveillance cameras, stating that such devices are helpful for law enforcement agencies in solving crimes. However, this stance comes at a time when both parties in the U.S. Congress are intensifying their scrutiny, and disputes over privacy, data usage, and tracking capabilities continue to heat up.
Trump makes a public statement
On Air Force One, Trump told reporters that he "kind of likes" these types of automatic license plate recognition cameras because they can help law enforcement agencies with their work. Facing further questions about privacy violations, he admitted that "some people" do view them that way, but then he reiterated that "I like them."
This is his clearest public statement to date. Previously, in August when asked about related issues, he stated that the government was still evaluating the pros and cons and had not taken a clear stance.
Flock Network scale has expanded across the United States.
The core product of Flock Safety is cameras that are fixedly installed on roadside areas or utility poles. These devices capture images of passing vehicles and use computer vision to record identifiable features such as vehicle models, colors, as well as accessories like roof racks and bumper stickers.
According to reports, the company has deployed over 120,000 cameras in more than 6,000 communities across the United States, scanning approximately 20 billion vehicles each month. The police believe that this searchable network helps to recover stolen vehicles and locate missing persons; critics, however, argue that it creates a record of movements for a large number of people who have never been suspected of any crimes.
- Deployment scale: Over 120,000 cameras
- Coverage: Over 6,000 American communities
- Scanning volume: Approximately 20 billion vehicles per month
Congress and local governments exert pressure simultaneously
The controversy has further intensified in recent weeks. Wired previously disclosed that Flock is developing a set of AI tools that can identify and track drivers without directly obtaining their names or license plate numbers. These tools are said to be capable of searching based on vehicle movement patterns, and can even identify so-called "associated vehicles" by identifying vehicles that appear under the same cameras during the same time period.
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley launched a formal investigation into the data practices of Flock at the end of August, and subsequently expanded the investigation to include other monitoring providers such as Motorola Solutions, Verkada, and Axon. Senator Bernie Sanders also pledged to push for separate legislation to limit the expansion of such monitoring networks.
Meanwhile, Representative Thomas Massie is pushing for a bill to cut federal funding for agencies that deploy such cameras. At the local level, Governor Greg Abbott of Texas has ordered state agencies to suspend funding for Flock cameras, and the Los Angeles Police Department also suspended its contract with Flock in July due to data sharing and security concerns.
The same interview also touched on AI security.
During the same interview, Trump was also asked about the security issues related to AI. In the face of calls from outside to slow down the development pace of AI, he did not show any support; instead, he emphasized that the benefits brought by AI far outweigh the risks.
The day before, Anthropic's CEO, Dario Amodei, issued a call for the industry to slow down in order to gain time for security research; OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, also expressed a similar view. Trump, on the other hand, reiterated that whoever emerges victorious in the AI competition will gain the advantage, and downplayed the necessity of strengthening regulatory safeguards.
This means that on the two issues of monitoring with AI and security with AI, Trump tends to emphasize technological applications and competitive advantages rather than imposing stricter restrictions first.
