FBI Director Kash Patel on Tuesday praised Flock cameras as being a useful tool for federal investigators, touting their use to help track down criminals. 

The prolific use of Flock cameras by private businesses, police departments, local districts, and states nationwide to automatically record the license plates of all passing vehicles has sparked scrutiny in recent months, due to concerns that privacy and constitutional rights are being violated. Private individuals or police agencies can choose to share the data across state lines with other law enforcement departments, as well as government agencies, including the FBI.