Senator Bernie Sanders Introduces Bill to Ban Federal Use of License Plate Readers
Quick Look
Senator Bernie Sanders introduced the Ban Flock Act to prohibit federal agencies from using automatic license plate readers or accessing data from local police and private company systems, with exceptions only for toll collection and future congressional approval limiting data retention to 48 hours; state and local governments would lose federal grants for non-compliance, and Americans could sue the government for violations.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Flock is the largest ALPR vendor in the U.S., with over 120,000 cameras processing more than 20 billion vehicle reads monthly. Public anger has grown over surveillance concerns, leading some communities to protest, suspend use, or cancel contracts. In response, Flock reduced its default data retention from 30 to seven days and introduced an audit tool to flag unusual searches.
Flock, whose cameras scan license plates across the country, continues to draw public anger, and now Senator Bernie Sanders wants the federal government out of the business altogether.
Sanders (D-Vermont) on Friday introduced the Ban Flock Act, which would bar federal agencies from using automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) or tapping into data collected by readers run by local police and private companies. Despite its title, the bill doesn’t call out Flock in the text and covers any and all ALPR systems.
The bill allows exceptions only for toll collection and for uses that Congress approves in future legislation, which would have to limit data retention to no longer than 48 hours.
State and local governments would be dinged financially for not complying if the bill became law. (Like most bills, this one faces long odds.) Starting the first fiscal year after enactment, they would lose grants from five federal departments, including the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security, unless they ban the tech.
Americans could also sue the federal government over violations, and state attorneys general could enforce the law.
Flock is the largest ALPR vendor in the U.S., according to Sanders, with more than 120,000 cameras. In a blog post back in February, the company said its network processes more than 20 billion vehicle reads each month.
Under increasing pressure from communities that are protesting the product, suspending their use, and, at an escalating rate, canceling their contracts, Flock has tightened its rules. In August, CEO Garrett Langley, who’d previously said that how police use the cameras is up to local agencies, announced a new default data retention period of seven days, down from 30.
Customers must also now use an audit tool that locks officers out pending review when it flags unusual searches. In one of the highest-profile cases of an officer abusing Flock’s platform, a former Milwaukee officer pleaded guilty to misconduct after searching for his then-partner and her ex 179 times, listing the reason as “investigation.” (During a recent podcast interview, investor Jason Calacanis suggested a “double-key” system in which two people must approve a search, and Langley said the idea is “on the whiteboard.”)
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) are co-sponsors.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The Ban Flock Act will face significant opposition in Congress and is unlikely to pass in its current form.
Likely · Within months
Flock will continue to modify its data retention and audit policies in response to public and legislative pressure.
Very likely · Within months
Open Questions
- What specific federal grants would state and local governments lose if they fail to comply with the Ban Flock Act?
- How many state and local governments currently use Flock or similar ALPR systems?
- What is the likelihood of the Ban Flock Act passing Congress given its current political landscape?
- Have any other federal legislators expressed support or opposition to the bill beyond the named cosponsors?
