During Tuesday’s episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Rogan and billionaire investor Marc Andreessen discussed Austin’s previous use of Flock Safety cameras, which scan and record license plates of passing vehicles. Andreessen claimed the technology could have shortened the hourslong search that ended Sunday in Manor, where three suspects were taken into custody.
Andreessen said the suspects’ vehicle was detected after entering Manor because Flock cameras were active there, helping law enforcement track them down. Manor police confirmed the department used license plate reader technology during the search. Officers reviewed a database of scans and found a camera had captured the suspects’ vehicle on the south side of the city. However, the city’s police chief also said in a Sunday press conference that Manor police officers spotted the vehicle shortly after a “Be On The Lookout,” or BOLO, notice was issued to area law enforcement via Austin police.
Rogan questioned whether Austin’s decision to discontinue the cameras was politically motivated. Andreessen argued privacy concerns in progressive cities often lead to resistance against surveillance technology. “Tons of cities have this, and they love it, [but] in cities like Austin, with the intense politics they run into backlash on privacy and surveillance concerns,” Andreessen said.
Andreessen’s venture capital firm, Andreessen Horowitz, is an investor in Flock Safety.
Andreessen also suggested comments made Sunday evening by Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis signaled the city may reconsider the technology. Davis said during a media briefing that police would be “open to having those conversations” about license plate readers. “I think the conversation is ripe to have. Could that have helped? Yes, it could have helped,” Davis said in response to a question about the technology. Watson agreed that “probably having license plate readers would have been helpful under these circumstances.”
Austin City Council declined last year to renew the city’s contract with Flock after an internal audit found issues with how the Austin Police Department tracked officers’ use of the system. Privacy advocates also campaigned against the cameras, arguing the technology amounted to mass surveillance. Austin first banned the technology in 2020 before later allowing it under a pilot program in 2023. The city ultimately ended the program amid concerns about oversight, civil liberties and data-sharing practices.
The American-Statesman reached out to Austin police for comment on if discussions about reinstating the technology are underway. City officials did not indicate whether the department plans to formally pursue license plate readers again or whether it is evaluating Flock or competing vendors. City spokesperson Yasmeen Hassen told the Statesman in a statement that Austin is “committed” to ensuring officers have the tools and technology they need to keep the community safe while also protecting residents' privacy rights.
Critics of license plate readers argue the systems can create detailed records of people’s movements, including visits to medical providers, political events or religious institutions. Advocacy groups have also warned the data can be shared with outside agencies, including federal immigration authorities, with limited public oversight. Others have raised concerns about racial profiling and the possibility the technology could be used to monitor protesters or people seeking reproductive healthcare.
Andreessen acknowledged the systems could be abused without proper safeguards. “This is a system that could be used in bad ways. Bad people could use it in bad ways,” Andreessen said. “If you had a corrupt chief of police and he had some personal entitlement thing and he wanted to track an ex or whatever, or the mayor wanted to do this to terrorize her political opponents, if you had corrupt city officials, they could use it for bad things.” When Rogan asked whether blockchain or other tracking systems could monitor misuse, Andreessen responded that he was “sure there are records of everything.”
Rogan later referenced the March mass shooting at Buford’s on West Sixth Street, suggesting some listeners would view the renewed discussion around Flock cameras skeptically. “There is a group of people listening to this right now saying, ‘Andreessen’s a shill, Rogan’s shilling for Flock,’” Rogan said. “They’re trying to get mass surveillance.”