Bernie Sanders Vows Legislation to ‘Stop Flock and AI Mass Surveillance’

Sen. Bernie Sanders is taking goal at Flock Security, pledging to introduce laws concentrating on the surveillance-camera firm as he warned that synthetic intelligence is pushing the nation towards a “surveillance state.”

In a prolonged post on X on Wednesday, the Vermont impartial framed the battle in stark phrases, opening with “STOP FLOCK. STOP AI MASS SURVEILLANCE” and cautioning that unchecked monitoring expertise dangers steering the U.S. towards totalitarianism.

Sanders stated Flock, which he described as backed by tech figures Marc Andreessen and Peter Thiel, has put in greater than 120,000 AI-powered cameras throughout the nation that scan and report 20 billion automobiles every month in over 6,000 communities.

Sanders argued the attain extends into each day life, saying that wherever Flock operates, its cameras log residents dropping kids at college, visiting docs or heading out on dates. He additionally pointed to newer capabilities, contending Flock’s AI can mix pictures of an individual and their automobile with databases of cellphone numbers, relations and court docket information to find out who somebody is and the place they are going. He closed by promising to introduce a invoice to rein within the expertise.

The pledge provides a outstanding voice to a swelling bipartisan backlash. Opposition to Flock’s automated license plate readers has already reached Capitol Hill, the place Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie stated he plans laws to withhold federal funding from companies that deploy the cameras. Native governments from Los Angeles to Monroe County, Indiana, have suspended or canceled contracts amid privateness issues, whereas activists in dozens of states have vandalized or disabled the gadgets.

Atlanta-based Flock, based in 2017, says its cameras do not use facial recognition and sometimes retain footage for 30 days. CEO Garrett Langley has argued that critics usually soften as soon as they perceive the expertise primarily pictures automobiles, and he not too long ago apologized for beforehand labeling anti-Flock activists a “terroristic group.”

In an interview with FOX Information earlier this week, Langley asked Americans to “compromise” on their privateness, implying residents ought to prioritize security over issues about surveillance.

Flock has moved aggressively over the previous 12 months to increase its footprint, together with a nationwide plate-scanning fleet involving Uber drivers and a police tool for tracking drivers.

Sanders didn’t specify when he would introduce the invoice.