License plate readers CEOs skip Senate hearing

Our Take

When KSDK News reports that the CEOs behind the license plate reader industry couldn't be bothered to show up for a Senate hearing about their own products, that's not a scheduling conflict — it's a message. Companies like Flock Safety have spent years building a surveillance network that now touches thousands of American communities, but when lawmakers finally ask hard questions about accountability, data retention, and who gets access to all those scans, the executives suddenly have somewhere else to be.

This pattern should sound familiar to anyone who's followed Big Tech's playbook: deploy first, normalize the technology through local police contracts and homeowner association pitches, and only engage with regulators once the infrastructure is too entrenched to meaningfully roll back. A no-show at a Senate hearing isn't a neutral act — it's a bet that public attention fades faster than the cameras keep recording.

We think the absence speaks louder than any prepared testimony would have. If you want to see how dense this network has gotten in your own backyard, check out our camera map, and if you're ready to push back on unchecked ALPR deployment in your city or county, our take-action page has concrete steps. Credit to KSDK News for keeping the pressure on an industry that would clearly rather operate in silence.