⭐ Hawley Challenges “No Facial Recognition” Claim With Motorcycle Poster

Our Take

Credit to ClearPoint Reports for surfacing this exchange, where Sen. Josh Hawley pushes back on Flock Safety's standard talking point that its camera network doesn't do facial recognition. The pushback reportedly centers on a motorcycle example — a scenario where a rider's plate may be obscured, but the system still pulls identifying details like helmet design, jacket patches, and other distinguishing features. That's the kind of nuance that gets lost when a company says "we don't do facial recognition" as if that settles the privacy question.

This matters because the whole ALPR industry leans hard on narrow definitions to avoid scrutiny. "No facial recognition" sounds reassuring, but it ignores the broader point: these cameras are building detailed profiles of vehicles, patterns, and by extension, the people driving them, whether or not a face is technically scanned. Lawmakers asking pointed questions in public hearings is exactly the kind of accountability moment this industry has avoided for years, and it's worth watching who in Congress is actually willing to dig into the technical details instead of accepting corporate messaging at face value.

If you want to see how far this network has already spread in your own area, check out our camera map, and if this kind of exchange makes you want to do something about it, our take-action page has concrete steps for pushing back locally.