Clearview AI, known for scraping billions of photos for facial recognition, is developing an experimental tool called InquiryIQ that would let police feed in a suspect's name and details to automatically scour the web for their employer, aliases, associates, and physical traits. The tool has reportedly tested a model from SpaceXAI, the company behind Grok, and its interface suggests entering demographic data like race and gender helps it make 'smarter decisions.' Clearview has not released InquiryIQ publicly and declined to explain how such inputs affect its outputs.
wired.com
· 2026-09-10
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been analyzing Americans' financial transaction records to help agents identify vehicles and individuals worth pulling over. The practice extends the agency's data-driven surveillance tactics beyond travel and license-plate records into personal banking activity.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-09
Job listings and interviews with Anthropic security officials reveal the company is developing a monitoring system that tracks activists near its executives and offices, aiming to predict protests and incidents before they occur, sometimes alerting police in advance. Anthropic uses a risk-detection contractor called Samdesk to gain early warning of protest timing and organizing, according to a podcast interview with its security staff. Anthropic did not respond to a request for comment.
prospect.org
· 2026-09-09
An investigation into Flock Safety examines how the company's automated license-plate readers have spread across thousands of U.S. communities, creating a dense network of surveillance that local police departments increasingly rely on. The piece traces how privacy law's ambiguous constitutional footing—rooted in Fourth Amendment protections rather than an explicit right—has left room for technologies like Flock's cameras to expand largely unchecked. It situates this growth within a longer post-9/11 trend of trading privacy for promised safety and convenience.
newyorker.com
· 2026-09-09
404 Media reports that Customs and Border Protection operates a little-known unit, the Predictive Intelligence Targeting Team, which reportedly analyzes Americans' financial transaction records and other data to identify people for traffic stops and further scrutiny. CBP declined to detail its methods, citing operational security, while civil liberties attorneys argue the program extends surveillance far beyond CBP's traditional border mission.
news.slashdot.org
· 2026-09-08
Grass Valley Police Department ended its contract with Flock Safety and removed the company's license plate cameras, but Flock reinstalled at least two of them without authorization weeks later. Flock says its automated maintenance system misread the city's early camera removal as an equipment failure, triggering repair crews to dispatch and replace units. GVPD says it continues to monitor for and remove any cameras Flock puts back up.
techspot.com
· 2026-09-08
President Trump imposed a 100 percent tariff on large foreign-made drones, particularly targeting Chinese models used widely by American police departments. Officials like Lake County Drone Unit chief Scott Mlakar say the tariffs will make it financially difficult for many communities to buy or replace drones used for tasks like locating suspects and missing children. The FCC is also weighing classifying some drone technologies, such as lidar, as military-grade, further restricting access.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-06
Candidates across parties are campaigning against Flock Safety's AI-powered license-plate camera network, which operates in thousands of U.S. communities and lets police search shared vehicle data. Politicians in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Florida have called for bans, funding cuts, warrant requirements, or campaigned directly against the surveillance system. Flock defends the technology, citing its role in solving roughly a million crimes and reuniting thousands of missing people with families.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-04
A California bill aimed at regulating surveillance-based pricing — where retailers use personal data to set individualized prices — failed to advance to Governor Newsom's desk before the legislative deadline. The California Retailers Association responded by expressing hope that lawmakers can restart negotiations next year by focusing on points of existing consensus.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-02
As communities destroy Flock's automatic license plate readers over privacy concerns, some police departments switching to Axon are worried its similar-looking cameras will become the next target. In a leaked webinar, Axon CEO Rick Smith confirmed the company is exploring shape changes to its ALPRs after customer requests, alongside plans to mount cameras on streetlights and add explanatory signage.
techspot.com
· 2026-09-02
E-commerce SEO firm Productrise found that identical products listed through Google's AI Mode averaged 21.6 percent higher prices than the same items shown via traditional Google Search. The study also found AI Mode listings appeared 49 percent more prominently to users, and nearly half the time recommended a different primary retailer than standard search results.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-02
Pennsylvania health officials reported a newborn and a child died of measles, but the CDC removed these two deaths from its national measles surveillance data over the weekend after initially including them. New CDC director Erica Schwartz reportedly ordered the change, adding a disclaimer stating it's unclear whether measles caused or contributed to the deaths.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-01
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