What We Know: Missouri Senator Josh Hawley is expanding his investigation into the use of artificial intelligence surveillance cameras.
Hawley has sent letters to Motorola Solutions, Verkada and Axon Enterprise, demanding information about how the companies collect, store and share personal data.
The investigation started with Flock Safety and its license plate camera network.
What It Means: Hawley points to a recent case in St. Charles County, where police ended their contract with Flock after an audit found a civilian employee had allegedly used the system for personal searches unrelated to police work.
Hawley says he supports giving law enforcement tools to catch criminals, but argues there need to be stronger safeguards over how Americans’ location and vehicle information is collected and used.
What’s Next: The companies have until September 16th to provide the information requested by Hawley’s office.
(Photo courtesy of Josh Hawley, US Senate)