In October, Binghamton University announced it would be switching from Flock Safety to Axon Enterprise to supply automated license plate readers on campus. Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, Axon provides technology to law enforcement, fire departments, emergency medical services, correctional facilities and campuses. Their products include body cameras, tasers, drones and AI-powered systems that digitally manage data.

Axon has been accused of selling weapons to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Israeli Defense Forces.

“We see ourselves as a technology company committed to making the world a safer, less dangerous place,” said Axon founder and Chief Executive Officer, Rick Smith. “We’re focused on providing tools that help prevent violence, hold people accountable and address the complex challenges of modern society.”

ALPRs can be used by police to identify vehicles in ongoing investigations for incidents such as protective or restraining order investigations, criminal investigations, missing-persons or endangered-persons investigations, locating stolen vehicles and hit-and-runs. The University has used automated license plate readers since 2023.

The previous ALPR provider, Flock, has garnered nationwide controversy and was criticized by the BU Young Democratic Socialists of America for allegedly supplying data to ICE. University students protested Flock with a walkout, as well as protests and petitions. A spokesperson from BU claims that the University did not consider student protest organizing when making the switch.

Axon is a U.S. company that was formerly known as Taser International. In March, President Donald Trump reportedly purchased between $1 and $5 million in Axon Enterprise stock. Two weeks later, ICE bought 15,000 tasers from the company.

Axon has also been accused of supplying the IDF with tasers that have allegedly been used to torture prisoners and detainees, following an investigation by The Guardian and Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism.

An article by The Guardian discussed the alleged torture of a man, going by the name Essa, who was arrested in the Jabalia refugee camp in January 2024, where he was staying after he lost both feet in an Israeli missile attack on his home. He was held at Ofer Prison in Israel before his release in October 2025.

According to the investigation, Essa was likely tortured with weapons supplied by Axon Enterprise while in prison. Three other detainees also allege they were tortured using Axon weapons between 2024 and 2025.

Amnesty International has called for restrictions on exports of electric shock devices after allegations of repeated torture of detainees held in Israeli detention centers and prisons.

The United Nations Committee Against Torture reported on allegations of torture, including the use of electric shock devices and claimed that torture and ill-treatment have escalated in Israeli prisons since Oct. 7, 2023.

The Committee further expressed allegations of sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees, including sexualized forms of torture and the use of electric shock devices on the genitals and anus.

Despite these allegations, Axon has reportedly continued to sign contracts with Israeli entities to supply taser guns and accessories.

“The use of electric shocks may be just one of dozens of types of weapons that have been used against them [Palestinian prisoners],” said Amani Al-Sarhanah, from the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club. “We do not actually know what types they are or which companies supply them. Nevertheless, we certainly know that most weapons imported by Israel originate from the United States in one way or another.”

The UN reported that 80 prisoners, including a 17-year-old boy, have died in Israeli detention, with at least 12 showing evidence of having been tortured.

Torture alleged by the UN includes “ill-treatment; severe beatings, including on the genitals; electric shocks; being forced to remain in stress positions for prolonged periods; deliberate inhumane conditions and starvation; waterboarding; and widespread sexual insults and threats of rape.”

The first-ever Axon Tech Summit was held in Israel in June 2025.

“From body-worn cameras, Drones as first responders, latest TASER technology to AI-powered real-time operations platforms, we saw how non-lethal tech and connected systems are already empowering those who protect us,” wrote the Goren Kidon Group, a defense and security company that was present at the summit.

Axon did not respond to Pipe Dream’s repeated request for comment.