FedEx Partners with Police, AI Startup to Expand Controversial Surveillance Network Across U.S.

FedEx, the shipping giant, is partnering with police departments and Flock Safety, a car surveillance startup, to monitor its facilities and share camera feeds with law enforcement, potentially expanding a controversial AI surveillance network across the U.S.

Key details of the partnership: FedEx is using Flock Safety’s AI-powered car surveillance cameras to monitor its distribution and cargo facilities nationwide, and is sharing these feeds with local police departments:

• FedEx is one of at least four multi-billion dollar companies, including Simon Property, Lowe’s, and Kaiser Permanente, that have been identified as Flock Safety customers.
• Some police departments, like Shelby County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee and Pittsboro Police Department in Indiana, are also sharing their own Flock camera feeds with FedEx’s private police force.

Concerns over privacy and transparency: Civil rights activists warn that the collaboration between FedEx and police could dramatically expand Flock’s car surveillance network, which already spans 4,000 cities and 40,000 cameras, while leaving the public in the dark:

• Lisa Femia, staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, noted that because private entities are not subject to the same transparency laws as police, this arrangement could expand a “mass surveillance network” without public knowledge.
• Jay Stanley, senior policy analyst at the ACLU, called the exchange of data between FedEx and law enforcement “profoundly disconcerting” and questioned why a private company would have privileged access to data normally only available to law enforcement.

Flock’s rapid growth and controversial impact: Flock Safety, founded in 2017, has raised over $482 million in venture capital, helping it expand its network of AI-powered cameras that can track vehicles by license plate, make, model, color, and other identifying characteristics:

• Forbes previously reported that Flock’s marketing data had exaggerated its impact on crime rates and that the company had likely broken the law across various states by installing cameras without proper permits.
• Flock’s senior VP of policy and communications, Joshua Thomas, declined to comment on private customers but stated that the company’s technology helps “bolster public safety efforts by helping to deter and solve crime efficiently and objectively.”

Broader implications: The partnership between FedEx, police, and Flock Safety raises serious questions about the expanding role of private companies in public surveillance and the potential for abuse of power:

• The lack of transparency surrounding these agreements makes it difficult for the public to understand the full extent of the surveillance network and hold the parties accountable.
• As more private companies gain access to powerful AI surveillance tools and share data with law enforcement, the line between private and public security becomes increasingly blurred, potentially eroding civil liberties and privacy rights.