A rift has opened among Republicans over Flock Safety, a company whose licence-plate-reading cameras have expanded into a vast, searchable surveillance network across the United States. A former CIA official warned the Daily Mail that the technology is "creepy" and vulnerable to hacking by foreign adversaries, cautioning that any government could be tempted to weaponise it, while President Donald Trump has said he will study the system and decide within weeks whether to expand its federal use.

Flock's network now spans roughly 120,000 cameras in 49 states, and while marketed as a policing tool, the hardware is reportedly capable of facial and gait recognition alongside licence-plate tracking, raising fears it could be used to monitor abortion or immigration cases. Tennessee congressman Tim Burchett is among the most vocal Republican critics, warning of potential abuse and citing Fourth Amendment concerns, while Tennessee's state party has introduced a bill, the Protection Against Mass Surveillance Act, to restrict federal agencies' access to such systems. Opponents nationwide have staged protests, posted warning signs and in some cases vandalised cameras in response to the rollout.