Lawmakers Introduce Bills to Ban Flock Safety Surveillance Network
U.S. lawmakers and activists are pushing to ban or restrict Flock Safety's automated license plate readers following reports of widespread surveillance abuse.
Federal and state lawmakers are introducing legislation to restrict or ban automated license plate readers (ALPRs) provided by Flock Safety, which operates a network of over 120,000 cameras across 49 states. Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Jeff Merkley, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced the Ban Flock Act to prohibit federal agencies from using ALPRs and to block federal grant funding for state and local governments that employ the technology. The bill allows exceptions for toll collection but limits data retention to 48 hours.
Other legislative efforts include Senator Josh Hawley's Stop Flock Abuse Act, which focuses on data audits and prohibits selling data to third parties, and Representative Thomas Massie's Flock-Off Act. In Wyoming, a select committee is drafting a bill to restrict ALPR use to specific violations, such as speeding, and requires the deletion of non-violating vehicle data after three minutes.
These efforts follow reports of systemic abuse, including officers in Florida and Albany using the systems to stalk estranged partners. Public protests have intensified in North Carolina and New York, leading the Syracuse Common Council to cancel its Flock Safety contract in favor of Axon Enterprises. In response to the pressure, Flock CEO Garrett Langley reduced the company's default data retention period from 30 to seven days and implemented an audit tool to prevent officer abuse. While some allege the company shares data with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Flock Safety denies working with the agency.
