Abuse
Searches run for ICE and an abortion case
2025Reporting found local police running Flock's national camera network on behalf of ICE, and a search tied to a woman who self-managed an abortion — using cameras funded by unrelated towns.
Individual
Marc Andreessen
Co-founder & general partner, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)
Est. net worth: ~$1.7B (public estimate)
Netscape co-creator turned venture capitalist. His firm a16z bankrolls the defense- and surveillance-tech wave through its 'American Dynamism' practice, backing both Anduril and Flock Safety.
On the record
- ▸Wrote the 2023 'Techno-Optimist Manifesto,' naming trust & safety and 'tech ethics' as enemies.
- ▸a16z's American Dynamism fund invests in defense, policing, and border tech.
- ▸Sits on the board of Meta.
- ▸Backer of Anduril and Flock Safety.
Funds
Incidents in their orbit
Investigation
Cameras installed without permits
2024Flock installed surveillance cameras on public roads in multiple states without required permits or approvals, prompting removals and investigations.
Abuse
AI towers watch the border
2020Anduril's autonomous towers use AI to detect and track people crossing the border, extending persistent surveillance over migrants and nearby communities.
Investigation
Selling the power to hack — and alter — camera feeds
2021Reporting revealed Toka markets government tools to break into security cameras and IoT devices, with capabilities that in some accounts extend to altering footage — a direct threat to evidence integrity and privacy.
Investigation
Drones dispatched over neighborhoods
2024Skydio's autonomous drones power police 'drone-as-first-responder' programs that fly to calls for service, raising concerns about routine warrantless aerial surveillance of communities.
Sources
- ↳The Techno-Optimist Manifesto — Andreessen Horowitz, 2023 ↗
- ↳a16z's American Dynamism push — The Washington Post, 2024