President Trump shared his opinion on Flock cameras over the weekend, saying that he “sort of” likes them.
A reporter asked President Trump aboard Air Force One, “Speaking of AI- Flock cameras. You haven’t talked a lot about these Flock cameras. A lot of law enforcement say they really help them, would you be willing to back that?”
Trump responded, “I sort of like them because of that, because of law enforcement, but some people don’t. They think it’s an infringement, but I like them.”
Other Republican leaders have made efforts to pull the surveillance technology.
During a recent press conference, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the surveillance network posed by license plate readers is “out of control,” and noted that “people are right to be concerned.”
Will Watts, the chief operating officer of the Florida Department of Transportation, has since informed law enforcement agencies that approvals for license plate readers in state “rights-of-way” were to be revoked.
“The recent exponential increase in deployments along our roadways, coupled with concerning reports of misuse, data privacy concerns and surveillance schemes merit immediate action to preserve Floridians’ sovereignty and quality of life,” the memo says.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has also pulled state funding for Flock camera systems.
Meanwhile, a bill on surveillance technology has made its way to Congress through Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY). H.R. 10221 blocks any efforts made to “purchase, lease, acquire, install, deploy, maintain, repair, replace, upgrade, or operate a covered camera system or any associated component.” It further blocks federal funds from being used to “enter into, renew, extend, modify, administer, or make a payment under any contract, subscription, license, memorandum of understanding, data-sharing agreement, cooperative agreement, or other similar arrangement” involving surveillance technology.
