The CEO‘s of major surveillance technology companies, including Flock Safety, did not attend a Senate hearing called by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., to examine the proliferation of their products, which have come under scrutiny for potential breaches of privacy.
Hawley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, invited Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley, Axon Enterprise CEO Rick Smith, Motorola Solutions CEO Greg Brown and Verkada CEO Filip Kaliszan to testify at his Wednesday hearing to examine AI-powered surveillance cameras. None of the executives appeared before the committee.
“I invited all of them. Sen. Durbin and I did,” Hawley said, referring to the committee’s ranking member Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. “I think we need to hear from them about what it is their networks do. I think we need to hear from them about their intentions, about their capabilities.”
The hearing came as scrutiny intensifies around the companies, most notably Flock, which has an extensive network of AI-powered automated license plate readers. The nationwide network is accessible to customers, which include police departments, and has been credited with helping solve crimes.
But senators on the panel expressed widespread concern that the technology could lead to a dangerous surveillance network that infringes on people’s rights. Five Indiana police officers were charged with crimes on Wednesday relating to misuse of the surveillance technology, and the committee heard from Lindsey Isaacs, who told the committee she was wrongly accused of being involved in a fatal crash due to a surveillance camera error.
“A customer in a Flock network, for example, just needs to buy a single camera and a subscription that I’m told costs about $3,000 annually, and in return for that they get access to a nationwide database of tens of thousands of cameras, about 120,000 in Flock’s case and billions of images,” Hawley said. “We need to have an honest conversation about where this is leading us as a country.”
Hawley did not say during the hearing whether he would try to compel Flock and the other companies invited to appear before the committee. In an interview with reporters before the hearing, however, Hawley suggested the companies could be forced to testify.
“It’s ridiculous,” he said. “We have not subpoenaed them, though, and we should.”
Congressional committees have subpoena power, meaning they can compel individuals to testify if they do not appear voluntarily.
Scrutiny of Flock and other surveillance providers was largely bipartisan at the hearing, as did disdain for the company leaders not appearing.
“For the Flock CEOs, obviously they’re nervous about being on camera,” Durbin said. “I sure wish they would have joined us today.”
Flock, Axon and Motorola did not respond to requests for comment from CNBC.
A spokesperson for Verkada said that “Unfortunately, our CEO was unable to attend today’s hearing.” The company also denied having a national database.
“We are in communication with the Subcommittee and are providing information to assist Chairman Hawley and Ranking Member Durbin as they prepare for the hearing,” the spokesperson said. “As we’ve explained to the Subcommittee, none of our customers can search a national Verkada network – because none exists. Our customers can only access the data in their own systems.”
In a letter to Hawley dated Sep. 8, Flock’s chief legal officer Dan Haley said the company recognizes “the importance of, and [is] committed to building upon, the significant, proactive steps we have taken over the last year to strengthen our ability to prevent and detect misuse of our technology.”
Flock also said it would support “clear, sensible legislation governing how this technology is used. Durable legislation and legal standards are the foundation of the public trust on which our business depends.”
Semafor reported Wednesday that Flock is considering selling itself.
— CNBC’s Karen James Sloan contributed to this report.
