The governors of red states Florida and Texas have both reduced their ties to the controversial AI camera company Flock in recent days, joining a growing number of politicians on both sides of the divide in opposing the technology.
Flock Safety’s cameras are automated license plate readers (ALPRs), meaning they take pictures of car licence plates to allow police and security companies to track the movement of cars around the camera. Washington Post polling suggests that around 46 per cent of Americans oppose the use of ALPRs in their communities, up 13 points from last year. Politicians are starting to take note.
Last week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced plans to revoke permits for ALPRS on state highways, saying in a speech in Jacksonville that “I’m all about having law enforcement have tools […] But I don’t want to have this become a digital AI surveillance state.”
This follows similar a similar move by Texas Governor Greg Abbott in late August, when he ordered all state agencies to pause funding for the cameras prior to the publication of a Texas Tribune investigation revealing that a little-known state agency had devoted at least $30 million to expanding the company’s reach in the state.
Democrat-linked politicians including Vermont senator Bernie Sanders and Pennsylvania governor Josh Shaprio have also spoken out against the cameras.
Despite nominally being used to track the movement of criminals, the company is facing community backlash after reports of abuses by law enforcement across multiple states, who have used them to stalk previous partners and track people seeking abortions.
Last month, Stow, Massachusetts, said it has cut ties with the company and removed its cameras after an officer allegedly used Flock cameras to gain information about someone they know. Separately, an officer has been fired from the Jefferson Parish Sherriff’s Office in Louisiana over “personal use” of the Flock system, according to authorities.
The issue is close to home for Republicans, as many of Flock’s major investors are also among the largest donors for Donald Trump. The company’s lead funder, venture capital group Andreessen Horowitz, was founded by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, both of whom have donated tens of millions to Trump’s campaigns.
Additionally, The New York Times has calculated that the pair and their venture fund have cumulatively donated around $115.3 million for the upcoming midterm elections so far.
In response to the Governors’ decisions, figures across Silicon Valley have come to Flock’s defence.
David Ulevitch, a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, described DeSantis’s policy as a “knee-jerk move” and added that Flock was fighting crime, the Financial Times reported.
Palantir co-founder and Trump donor Joe Lonsdale claimed in a TV interview that turning off Flock cameras was “anti-civilisation” and “going to help the criminals”.
DeSantis, for his part, blamed the public backlash against the cameras on a failure to regulate AI. He added that a bill he proposed last year, which was opposed by tech billionaires and stymied by the White House, could have prevented misuse of Flock cameras.
