--- title: "Josh Hawley Investigates Flock Safety Over Data Practices" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/josh-hawley-investigates-flock-safety-over-data-practices" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/josh-hawley-investigates-flock-safety-over-data-practices" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/josh-hawley-investigates-flock-safety-over-data-practices.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/josh-hawley-investigates-flock-safety-over-data-practices" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-08-26T21:46:07.943Z" source_reported: "2026-08-26T20:44:20.000Z" updated: "2026-08-26T22:30:25.520Z" trust_score: 50 critic_score: 61 hype_score: 20 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-26T23:30:31.429289+00:00" --- # Josh Hawley Investigates Flock Safety Over Data Practices *Senator probes license plate reader company's data collection and dissemination policies.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 50 of 100, higher is better. Central claim attributed to named body; two independent outlets published full reports; one source named on record. - Craft 61 of 100, higher is better. Reporting is clear and holds together; affected parties are quoted or given right of reply; fact is separate from comment. - Hype 20 of 100, lower is better. Language is measured and proportionate, with no sensationalism or loaded adjectives. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - U.S. Senator Josh Hawley is investigating Flock Safety, a company that operates a network of license plate reader cameras. - The investigation concerns Flock Safety's policies for collecting, retaining, and sharing data gathered by its cameras. - Hawley stated that Congress has not authorized the industry-wide network of license plate readers. - St. Charles County Police will cease using Flock technology after a civilian improperly accessed data. Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley has initiated an investigation into Flock Safety, a technology firm that supplies license plate reader cameras to law enforcement agencies. The inquiry, led by a Senate Judiciary subcommittee chaired by Hawley, centres on the company's practices regarding the collection, retention, and dissemination of data captured by its cameras. Hawley expressed concerns that the company's internal policies serve as the primary safeguards for Americans' data, as Congress has not formally authorised the widespread use of such technology. He stated that the public is increasingly aware of these practices and seeking answers from elected officials. In a related development, the St. Charles County Police department announced it would stop using Flock technology following an incident where a civilian improperly accessed data. The department will continue to use other providers with what it describes as more stringent access protocols. ## Disagreement on company response A spokesperson for Flock Safety stated that the company looks forward to working with the subcommittee to offer further context on its technology, its built-in safeguards, and how law enforcement agencies utilise Flock to solve crimes and locate missing individuals. The reports do not contain any statement from the company regarding this specific inquiry. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated reports mention the St. Charles County Police decision to stop using Flock technology after a civilian improperly accessed data. ## Who covered it Shares of the 9 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 22% (2) - Right: 78% (7) 0 of 9 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-26T23:30:31.429289+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 8 times; 1 check found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-26T23:45:13.710Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre - Spectrum Local News led on Senator Josh Hawley opening an investigation into Flock Safety, noting the company's use of license plate readers and growing scrutiny over data access. The report included Hawley's statement that Congress never authorised the network and that the company's internal policies are the main safeguards for Americans' privacy. It also mentioned the St. Charles County Police decision to stop using Flock technology after a civilian improperly accessed data, and that St. Louis County Police were restricting access to license plate reader technology. ### Right - The right-rated reports focused on Senator Josh Hawley launching an investigation into Flock Safety over surveillance concerns. Multiple reports highlighted Hawley's statement that Congress never authorised the network and that the company's internal policies are the only safeguards for Americans' data. Some reports mentioned Hawley's request for internal records from the company, detailing its roughly 120,000 devices. The Independent Journal Review also included details from Hawley's letter about specific instances of alleged misuse, such as an officer searching his girlfriend's license plate multiple times and a case where a driver faced charges for a crime she did not commit. This report also noted legislative efforts by other Republican representatives to ban or restrict the use of such cameras. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - low: 1 - mixed: 3 - high: 4 - veryHigh: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Mashable](https://mashable.com/tech/senator-hawley-flock-investigation) — Beleaguered Flock now has the U.S. Senate on its tail - [[your]NEWS](https://yournews.com/2026/08/26/7177588/josh-hawley-launches-investigation-into-flock-over-surveillance-concerns) — Josh Hawley Launches Investigation Into Flock Over Surveillance Concerns - [Washington Examiner](https://washingtonexaminer.com/news/senate/4701630/josh-hawley-investigation-flock-cameras) — Hawley opens investigation into Flock cameras - [NewsNation](https://newsnationnow.com/politics/josh-hawley-flock-camera-investigation) — Hawley launches investigation into Flock cameras’ massive surveillance program - [The Daily Caller](https://dailycaller.com/2026/08/26/josh-hawley-investigation-flock-safety-cameras) — GOP Senator Launches Investigation Into Flock Over Surveillance Concerns - [Newsmax](https://newsmax.com/politics/josh-hawley-flock-cameras-license-plate-readers/2026/08/26/id/1267401) — Report: Sen. Hawley Opens Probe Into Flock Cameras - [Political Wire](https://politicalwire.com/2026/08/26/josh-hawley-launches-probe-into-flock-cameras) — Josh Hawley Launches Probe Into Flock Cameras - [Spectrum Local News](https://spectrumlocalnews.com/mo/st-louis/news/2026/08/26/hawley-probes-flock) — Mo. Sen. Josh Hawley probing Flock as surveillance scrutiny grows - [The Free Press (Tampa)](https://tampafp.com/missouri-sen-josh-hawley-probes-flock-safety-over-camera-network) — Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley Probes Flock Safety Over Camera Network - Tampa Free Press - [Independent Journal Review](https://ijr.com/article/josh-hawley-launches-investigation-into-flock-over-surveillance-concerns) — Josh Hawley Launches Investigation Into Flock Over Surveillance Concerns ## Questions **Why is Senator Josh Hawley investigating Flock Safety?** Senator Josh Hawley is investigating Flock Safety due to concerns about the company's data collection, retention, and dissemination policies. He stated that Congress has not authorised the network of license plate readers and that the company's internal policies are the primary safeguards for Americans' privacy. **What prompted the St. Charles County Police to stop using Flock technology?** St. Charles County Police decided to stop using Flock technology after a civilian improperly accessed data from the system. The department indicated it would continue using other providers that it states have stricter access protocols in place. **What is Flock Safety?** Flock Safety is a company that provides license plate reader cameras to law enforcement agencies across the United States. These cameras are designed to capture vehicle information, and the company's data handling practices are currently under scrutiny. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/josh-hawley-investigates-flock-safety-over-data-practices. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Josh Hawley Investigates Flock Safety Over Data Practices", https://mediabias.news/politics/josh-hawley-investigates-flock-safety-over-data-practices