Key facts
- Senator Bernie Sanders introduced the Ban Flock Act on Friday.
- The bill would prohibit federal agencies from using automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) or data collected by them.
- The legislation covers all ALPR systems, not just Flock's.
- Exceptions are allowed for toll collection and future congressional approval.
- Non-compliant state and local governments could lose federal grants.
- Americans could sue the federal government for violations of the act.
Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) has introduced legislation aimed at preventing the federal government from utilizing automatic license plate reader (ALPR) technology. The bill, titled the Ban Flock Act, was introduced on Friday and would prohibit federal agencies from using ALPRs or tapping into data collected by these systems, whether operated by local police or private companies.
While the bill's title specifically mentions Flock, the legislative text covers all ALPR systems. Exceptions would be made for toll collection and for uses that Congress might approve in future legislation, with a strict limit on data retention to no more than 48 hours. If enacted, state and local governments that do not comply could face financial penalties, including the loss of grants from federal departments such as the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security.
Americans would gain the ability to sue the federal government for violations, and state attorneys general would be empowered to enforce the law. According to Sanders, Flock is the largest ALPR vendor in the U.S., operating more than 120,000 cameras that process over 20 billion vehicle reads each month. In response to public pressure and contract cancellations, Flock has recently tightened its rules, reducing its default data retention period to seven days from 30 and implementing an audit tool to monitor unusual searches.