Former Pentagon AI chief warns Flock cameras could create ‘China-like surveillance state’ in the US

Former Pentagon AI Policy Director Mark Beall warned that expanding artificial intelligence surveillance tools, like Flock cameras, could turn American communities into a “China-like surveillance state” unless guardrails are enforced.

Speaking on “Saturday in America,” Beall argued that while this technology can have vital law enforcement benefits, clear rules and judicial oversight are necessary to protect the rights of Americans at home.

“We have to be careful that we don’t go too far to the other direction and create a China-like surveillance state, which is literally what AI capabilities will ultimately enable and are enabling right now,” Beall told Fox News.

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From destroyed camera poles to viral signs blocking surveillance lenses, some communities are pushing back against neighborhood surveillance cameras. Flock cameras are automated license plate readers used by law enforcement to record vehicle data that can aid criminal investigations. People in communities with the cameras have raised concerns about privacy and potential misuse by law enforcement.

Beall acknowledged that the technology can benefit law enforcement but said people’s privacy concerns are also valid. He urged a compromise and called for guardrails on how the cameras can be used, including strict rules and court oversight to prevent officers from abusing the technology for personal reasons.

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“It’s tough to bring the message of compromise to the American people, especially when it comes to our constitutional protections,” Beall said.

“I think what we’re seeing across the board when it comes to artificial intelligence is that the innovation upside is so tremendous, but across all of these different use cases, including the Flock cameras, what we really need are strong guardrails, a strong policy that allows us to maintain those special values, the American founding principles that make this country so great,” he added.

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Lawmakers from both parties have raised similar concerns and called for rules governing the surveillance technology. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has proposed banning the technology outright, and Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., has pushed to cut federal funding for local installations.

In Florida, transportation officials have ordered law enforcement agencies to take down the license plate readers from state highways. They cited privacy concerns and reports of misuse of the technology.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized the cameras at a news conference Monday, saying, “If you want to get in your car, and you want to go down to Buc-ee’s in St. Augustine, it’s really none of the government’s damn business if you’re doing that, right? What we don’t want in the state of Florida is to have a digital AI surveillance state where everything we’re doing is being tracked at all times.”

He added the technology has sometimes been useful but questioned where the data is going and how it is being stored.

“They claim that the companies aren’t going to misuse it, but no one’s watching that, and I know you can make some money selling cameras, but you really can make a lot of money if you can sell people’s data,” DeSantis said.

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In a statement to Fox News Digital, Flock Safety said it announced new safeguards, including cutting default data retention to seven days, making misuse detection mandatory for every customer and calling on the broader surveillance industry to meet those same standards.

In August, Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley addressed privacy and safety concerns in an interview with Fox News host Kayleigh McEnany.

“When people talk about just one of these, privacy or safety, they’re prioritizing the wrong thing, and what we have to prioritize as a country is compromise,” Langley told Fox News. “How do we have our safety, and how do we balance privacy?”

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He said the company is focused on ensuring the technology is used for good, including by recommending seven-day data retention limits and holding those who misuse the system accountable.

“Today, it is too often that in Flock and in other technologies, there’s no regulation. There’s no accountability, and we think that’s wrong,” Langley said.

“We announced changes that required auditing, that required using our audit assistance tool, which detects abnormal behavior, and we’re calling on state regulators to focus less on banning this type of technology and more [on] holding our law enforcement community accountable.”