# ICE Gains Access to Nationwide AI-Powered Camera Network In the 404 Media Podcast, journalists Jason Koebler, Joseph Cox, Sam Cole, and Emmanuel Mayberg discuss the automatic license plate reader "Flock" and its new features. The episode focuses on two investigations: how US immigration authorities gain access to the surveillance network and how Flock develops a new tool called "Nova" that links license plate data with hacked personal information. ### 1. ICE Gains Unofficial Access to Nationwide Flock Camera Network ICE and other federal agencies access the Flock network without a formal contract through local police departments. Jason Koebler explains: "What's happening here is that local police are doing these searches on behalf of ICE and/or the Department of Homeland Security." This happens partly through formal requests and partly through "informal" favors that are treated as favors. ### 2. Flock Cameras Form a Massive, Connected Surveillance System The Flock network has become a nationwide surveillance system that captures every passing car. Jason emphasizes: "It's like a Google search engine for cars." Participating police departments can not only query their own cameras but also those in other cities and states - without needing search warrants. ### 3. Nova Aims to Link License Plate Data with Personal Data from Leaks Flock is developing an add-on called "Nova" that aims to link license plate data with personal information. Joseph explains: "Nova is this new product that [...] will add information to these searches." The tool plans to use hacked data from the 2021 ParkMobile data leak, which contains email addresses, phone numbers, and postal addresses. ### 4. Concerns Within Flock Regarding Ethical Implications Flock employees have expressed concerns about the ethical implications of Nova. In leaked Slack messages, employees ask: "If Flock were hacked, would it be okay if another company used our data?" ## Breakdown The 404 Media investigation reveals a disturbing surveillance system that operates largely without public control and legal limits. Particularly problematic is the circumvention of legal restrictions: while ICE does not have direct access to Flock, the agency uses local police as proxies. This informal practice evades oversight and undermines state protective measures like the Sanctuary State law in Illinois. The podcast shows a dangerous development: from vehicle surveillance to targeted person surveillance using hacked data. This form of combining different data sources - without a legal basis and using illegally obtained information - constitutes a massive invasion of privacy. Notable is the framing contradiction: while Flock publicly advertises with crime prevention, more extensive surveillance goals are pursued internally. The journalists do important educational work by showing how commercial surveillance technology operates without adequate democratic control. This raises fundamental questions about the proportionality of such systems and the need for stricter regulation. Listening recommendation: An important podcast for anyone who wants to understand how commercial surveillance technology operates without adequate legal limits and how authorities bypass legal restrictions through informal practices.