AI surveillance

Donald Trump

2026-09-14 20:07:41

Trump Backs Flock’s AI Camera Network as Privacy Fight Deepens Across Washington

President Donald Trump said Sunday that he likes Flock Safety’s AI-powered surveillance cameras, giving his clearest endorsement yet of a technology that has divided lawmakers in both parties. Speaking aboard Air Force One while returning from Ireland to Joint Base Andrews, Trump said he supports the automated license plate readers because they help law enforcement, then repeated that position even after acknowledging that some people see the cameras as a privacy infringement. His comments come as scrutiny of Flock intensifies. The company says its fixed roadside cameras log vehicle details such as make, model, color, and distinctive features, and that its network now spans more than 120,000 cameras in over 6,000 U.S. communities, scanning about 20 billion vehicles each month. Supporters in policing say the system helps recover stolen cars and find missing people. Critics argue it can also create movement records on people who have never been suspected of a crime. Pressure escalated after Wired reported last month that Flock had built an AI tool, now called Flock OS Investigate, that could identify and track drivers without capturing names or license plates. Meanwhile, Sen. Josh Hawley has opened a formal probe, Sen. Bernie Sanders has promised legislation, Rep. Thomas Massie is pushing a funding cutoff bill, Texas has halted state funding, and the Los Angeles Police Department has suspended its contract.

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Anthropic

2026-09-10 02:21:47

Anthropic Accused of Building Predictive Surveillance System to Track Dissent

Anthropic, a company that has publicly framed itself as a responsible AI developer, is facing scrutiny over claims that it is building an internal predictive surveillance system aimed at people opposing rapid AI expansion. Citing a report by The American Prospect’s Daniel Boguslaw, the story says Anthropic has monitored dissenters and, in some cases, contacted police before an incident took place. The report points to remarks made on a podcast by Anthropic security staff and Samdesk CEO James Neufeld. In that discussion, Anthropic’s Keon Ellison described how Samdesk alerted the company 60 minutes before a planned protest was moved up, allowing executives to change their route and avoid the site. The article also highlights a recent GSIS job posting offering $180,000 to $230,000 for an intelligence analyst role covering threats including geopolitical unrest, terrorism, crime, social movement advocacy, and targeted actions against the AI sector. It also references prior reporting by The Wall Street Journal and The San Francisco Standard, including a case in which Anthropic reported a Claude user to San Francisco police after statements involving an AR-15 and CEO Dario Amodei. Anthropic had not responded to Prospect’s request for comment by press time.

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Texas

2026-08-31 21:46:04

Texas Orders State Agencies to Stop Funding Flock Cameras as Backlash Intensifies

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has directed state agencies to stop using state money for Flock Safety’s AI-powered surveillance cameras, adding fresh pressure on the license-plate-reader company as criticism of its network spreads. The move was confirmed to the Texas Tribune, which reported that a state agency had routed at least $30 million into expanding Texas’s Flock system through grants to local police. The Tribune also said the state’s Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority has helped install at least 3,200 cameras since 2023, while the Department of Public Safety added nearly 1,200 more under a $15.9 million contract. Abbott pointed to privacy concerns, contract cancellations, and misuse allegations, including charges against a Lufkin officer accused of surveilling 11 people. Flock says it views its technology as a public-safety tool and supports legislation with privacy safeguards, but the company now faces growing resistance from cities, lawmakers in both parties, and federal critics including Sen. Bernie Sanders.

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Berlin

2026-08-30 09:15:23

Berlin artist uses patterned shirt to test limits of AI surveillance cameras

Berlin police began testing an AI video surveillance system in the Kottbusser Tor area in August, using roughly 30 cameras to monitor the intersection and analyze people’s movements in real time for signs of violence. Berlin artist Simon Weckert responded in the same month with a shirt covered in bright adversarial patterns, arguing that the system can be thrown off without hacking anything at all: the wearer only needs to walk past the camera. Officials say the system shows people as stick-figure-like skeletons rather than identifiable faces and is designed to detect actions such as punching, kicking, or drawing a knife. Weckert’s project page challenges that framing, saying the deployment marks Berlin’s first legally sanctioned camera in public space without a specific cause. Under the pilot plan, the system is expected to cost about 2.47 million euros to build and 2.13 million euros to operate between 2026 and 2030, with police indicating that a successful trial could lead to expansion into areas including Warschauer Straße and other higher-crime districts.

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Bernie Sander

2026-08-29 17:31:03

Bernie Sanders says he will introduce bill targeting Flock as he warns of AI mass surveillance

Sen. Bernie Sanders said he plans to introduce legislation aimed at Flock Safety, the surveillance-camera company he says is helping drive the United States toward a "surveillance state." In a Wednesday post on X, the Vermont independent called for action against what he described as unchecked AI-powered tracking, warning that the technology could push the country toward totalitarianism if left unchallenged. Sanders said Flock, which he described as backed by Marc Andreessen and Peter Thiel, has installed more than 120,000 AI-powered cameras across the U.S. He said those cameras scan and record 20 billion vehicles each month in more than 6,000 communities. Sanders argued the system reaches deeply into ordinary life, from school drop-offs to doctor visits and dates, and said Flock’s tools can connect images of people and vehicles with databases containing phone numbers, relatives, and court records. His pledge comes as resistance to Flock grows across party lines. Rep. Thomas Massie said he plans legislation to cut off federal funding for agencies using the cameras, while local governments in places including Los Angeles and Monroe County, Indiana, have suspended or canceled contracts over privacy concerns. Sanders did not say when he would introduce the bill.

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Flock Safety

2026-08-27 14:33:10

Flock CEO Calls for Privacy-Safety ‘Compromise’ as AI Camera Backlash Spreads

Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley is urging Americans to accept what he called a compromise between privacy and public safety as criticism of the company’s AI-powered license plate camera network intensifies. The debate has moved well beyond local complaints. Flock’s cameras have reportedly been vandalized across the United States, while the company is now facing pressure from both Democrats and Republicans in Washington. In an interview aired Saturday on Fox News, Langley said the country should not treat privacy and safety as mutually exclusive choices. His comments came as lawmakers advanced separate efforts against the company, including a planned bill from Senator Bernie Sanders targeting what he called “AI mass surveillance,” a House Republican measure led by Representative Tim Burchett to block federal purchases of Flock cameras, and a Senate inquiry opened by Senator Josh Hawley. The scrutiny has also been fueled by recent investigations from The Washington Post and WIRED. Those reports raised concerns about police misuse of Flock’s systems and about an AI tool that can reportedly identify drivers through movement patterns alone, without starting from a name or license plate. Flock says its tools supported more than 1 million criminal investigations last year and helped locate over 10,000 missing people, though those figures come from the company’s own survey-based methodology.

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Japan FSA

2026-08-25 05:07:06

Japan FSA seeks ¥40 billion for FY2027 budget, targeting crypto and AI oversight

Japan’s Financial Services Agency plans to request about ¥40 billion in its FY2027 budget estimate, a record-high amount that would be roughly 60% above the previous year. According to CoinPost, the proposed spending is aimed at strengthening the digital capabilities of financial administration. The plan includes building market surveillance and monitoring platforms with AI, tightening cybersecurity measures for financial institutions, and advancing research and practical use of quantum-resistant cryptography. The budget request also includes resources to strengthen the supervisory framework for crypto asset trading operators. The proposal shows the agency placing digital oversight, cybersecurity, and crypto supervision under the same budget push.

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Grayscale

2026-08-21 10:14:10

Grayscale says Zcash could benefit if financial privacy is repriced in the AI era

Grayscale Research argues that financial privacy is moving back into focus as stablecoins and blockchain-based applications spread and artificial intelligence creates new tools for financial surveillance. In its report on Zcash, the firm says privacy should not be treated as a fringe feature of money, but as part of money’s core function. The report frames Zcash as a decentralized digital currency with a Bitcoin-like monetary design and an optional shielded transaction system that can hide sender, receiver, and amount while still allowing the network to verify validity. Grayscale says the market is assigning very little value to privacy today. As of July 2026, it places ZEC’s market capitalization at roughly $8 billion, or about 0.6% of its digital money category, which it says has a combined market value of $1.4 trillion across 15 assets. The report also points to on-chain usage metrics: shielded transactions accounted for about 90% of all Zcash transactions as of July 20, while about 4.2 million ZEC sat in the shielded pool, equal to 25% of circulating supply and a record high. Even so, the firm also flags regulatory, cryptographic, quantum, and execution risks tied to the network’s future development.

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