Flock says its cameras make US safer - so why are they being sabotaged?

Houston's historic Old Braeswood neighbourhood is affluent and tree-lined.

These are not the kind of streets where you would expect to see coordinated vandalism. Yet here four surveillance cameras were attacked and cut down in the middle of the night.

The metal poles were severed, leaving the distinctive black oval cameras and accompanying solar panels lying on the ground. On some of the cameras was a red sign reading: "Notice. 24/7 video recording".

These cameras are run by a company called Flock Safety and this sabotage, which happened in late July, is a signal of growing concern over the nationwide spread of sophisticated AI-powered surveillance systems. Similar vandalism incidents have occurred in Minnesota, California, and Georgia.

Proponents say they have made communities safer, and helped dramatically increase the rate at which crimes are solved. But recent examples of misuse have led some to worry. Critics say the cameras, which take pictures of the rear of every car that drives past, are overly broad investigative tools that treat civilians like suspects.

They see the little black poles popping up in their neighbourhoods as visible reminders of state power, at a time when public confidence in institutions is historically low and many are concerned about the accelerating pace of technological change and the influence of AI on people's lives.

Founded in 2017, Flock Safety has become one of the country's biggest makers of Automatic Licence Plate Readers (ALPRs). These AI-powered cameras take a picture of the rear of every car that drives past. Footage is retained for a specified amount of time.

But little is known about the extent that Flock is being used - the company does not publish exact data, but says it works with more than 7,000 communities nationwide, and estimates there are approximately 100,000 cameras deployed.