Full transcript
KNOW HOW THEY SAY BIRDS OF A
FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER? WELL,
SOME COMMUNITIES AROUND THE
COUNTRY ARE COMING TOGETHER TO
FIGHT AGAINST WHAT THEY SAY IS
A CONCERNING FORM OF
SURVEILLANCE. AI STARTUP FLOCK
SAFETY IS BUILDING AN ARMY OF
POLICE TECH. THEY ARE MOST
RECOGNIZABLE FOR THEIR
AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READERS.
YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF, WHICH
SNAP A PICTURE OF THE CAR'S
PLATE AS IT DRIVES BY. POLICE
SAY THE TECHNOLOGY HELPS THEM
SOLVE CRIMES LIKE KIDNAPINGS,
MURDERS, AND STOLEN VEHICLES.
AND WHILE THIS TECH IT HAS
EXISTED FOR SOME TIME, FLOCK IS
NOW THE FIRST TO CENTRALIZE IT
INTO A SINGLE NATIONWIDE
DATABASE THAT THOUSANDS OF
POLICE DEPARTMENTS CAN ACCESS
AT ANY TIME WITHOUT A WARRANT.
SO WE'RE GOING TO BRING IN NBC
NEWS CYBERSECURITY AND TECH
REPORTER KEVIN COLLIER, WHO HAS
BEEN REPORTING ON THIS STORY.
KEVIN, THANKS FOR JOINING US.
WALK US THROUGH THE PRIVACY
CONCERNS HERE. THAT'S LEADING
TO SOME OF THIS PUSHBACK.
RIGHT. SO THE US HAS HAD FOR
YEARS THESE CAMERAS THAT RECORD
CARS, LICENSE PLATES AS THEY
DRIVE BY CERTAIN HIGHWAYS,
SPOTS, INTERSECTIONS AND TOWNS
AND CITIES. BUT WHAT
COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY
ARE PUSHING BACK ON NOW IS THAT
FLOCK SAFETY HAS, FOR THE FIRST
TIME, CREATED THIS CENTRALIZED
DATABASE WHERE MORE THAN 3000
LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ACROSS
THE COUNTRY ARE WORKING
TOGETHER, SHARING REAL TIME
LOCATION INFORMATION OF
EVERYBODY THAT DRIVES BY. NONE
OF THEM NEED A WARRANT TO
ACCESS IT. SO I SPOKE WITH HALF
A DOZEN PEOPLE FROM A RANGE OF
POLITICAL AFFILIATIONS WHO ARE
PUSHING BACK. AND THERE'S
DEFINITELY SOMETHING IN THE AIR.
FOR SOME PEOPLE, IT'S THIS
LOOMING SENSE THAT AS TECH
TRACKS US MORE AND MORE,
THEY'RE GETTING SICK AND FED UP
OF FEELING LIKE THEY'RE BEING
TRACKED. AND THESE CAMERAS ARE
THE BIGGEST EXAMPLE OF THAT.
FOR OTHERS, IT'S THE REALITY
THAT EVEN THOUGH FLOCK NO
LONGER CONTRACTS DIRECTLY WITH
THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY, LOCAL POLICE AND
SANCTUARY CITIES EVEN HAVE BEEN
USING FLOCK CONTRACTS TO LOOK
UP DRIVER'S LOCATIONS ON BEHALF
OF ICE INVESTIGATIONS. AND THEY
WANT TO STOP THEIR LOCAL POLICE,
THEIR TAX DOLLARS FROM DOING
THAT.
I SEE, KEVIN, WE KNOW THAT
THIS KIND OF TECH IS GROWING IN
POPULARITY. IT HAS BEEN FOR
SOME TIME. DO WE KNOW IF IT'S
ACTUALLY SOLVING A SIGNIFICANT
AMOUNT OF CRIMES AND REALLY
HELPING POLICE ACROSS THE
COUNTRY?
I MEAN, FLOCK HAS A RANGE OF
SOLVED CASES. THEY'LL HAVE
LOCAL POLICE COME ON AND
TESTIFY THAT, YES, THIS
TECHNOLOGY WAS HELPFUL TO CLOSE
INVESTIGATION. A SPOKESPERSON
THERE TOLD ME THAT DESPITE THE
PRICE TAG, IT'S A IT'S A
CRUCIAL TOOL FOR FOR
UNDERSTAFFED POLICE DEPARTMENTS
IN PARTICULAR. AND THEY NOTED
THAT EVEN THOUGH WE NOTED MORE
THAN HALF A DOZEN CITIES AND
TOWNS IN RECENT MONTHS HAVE
CANCELED THEIR FLOCK CONTRACTS
OVER PROTESTS, FAR MORE HAVE
RENEWED THOSE CONTRACTS. BUT
SOMETHING THAT I DID FIND OVER
THE COURSE OF MY REPORTING IS
THAT IT'S EXTREMELY COMMON FOR
PEOPLE IN THESE CITIES AND
TOWNS THAT HAVE FLOCK SET UP.
THAT HAPPENS BEFORE THEY
REALIZE THEIR TAX DOLLARS ARE
USED FOR THIS TECHNOLOGY THAT
EVEN TRACKS THEM TO BEGIN WITH.
SO WE'LL SEE HOW THIS SHAPES UP
AS M