Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe has recently signed an executive order that directs the Department of Public Safety to come up with “strict safeguards” against the misuse of Flock cameras and similar devices. The executive order was met with dislike from Missouri residents, however, as some argued that it was completely “useless” and lacked any real bite.
As reported by KCTV, the executive order is aimed at Automated License Plate Reader technology, and it intends to make agencies enforce stricter regulations on the technology by providing a permanent statutory framework with minimum requirements.
By law, companies similar to Flock would be required to delete most license plate and vehicle data within 30 days, prohibit them from selling data, limit its use to “criminal justice” and “life-saving purposes,” prohibit the integration of artificial intelligence facial recognition technology, and require accountability.
Missourians Criticize Mike Kehoe’s Flock Camera Standards
While having a framework for new technologies would arguably seem like a sound idea, the executive order did not sit well with residents on r/Missouri, as most of them considered the framework insufficient.
One person wrote: “He’s saying there need to be guardrails, and we need to protect Missourians, but he’s not suggesting concrete solutions; he’s not suggesting consequences from failing to follow them; he’s just winning political points by writing an order that says ‘Don’t break the law.’”
Most other folks on the thread agreed: “Those SAME EXACT standards were in place before. Are you saying, before the change, the policy let individual police officers just access the system and track whoever they wanted? What could this new and improved policy state that wasn’t already in place?”
This led to some criticism of the Republican Party and the governor: “It’s amazing that the GOP cannot read the room with the general public turning sour and fast on AI, Data Centers, and Flock Cameras. Or maybe they’re dragging their feet because of political donations.”
One Missourian even called the document “the most naive thing I’ve ever seen,” while others argued that the executive order was “completely useless.”
As Flock cameras continue to face controversy across the country, it remains to be seen whether local authorities will impose further restrictions on their use in Missouri or whether Kehoe’s new standards will be enough to address residents’ privacy concerns.
