U.S. lawmakers introduce bill to ban federal use of Flock ALPR data

The Ban Flock Act has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to prohibit federal agencies from acquiring, possessing, or using automated license plate readers (ALPRs) or their collected data without explicit congressional authorization. Sponsored by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the House and Jeff Merkley in the Senate, the bill aims to restrict the use of AI-powered surveillance technology.

Under the proposed legislation, federal funding from departments such as Homeland Security and Justice would be withheld from state and local governments that utilize ALPRs. The bill also seeks to prevent federal money from being used to operate these systems and would render evidence obtained in violation of the act inadmissible in federal court. If passed, any authorized data use would require a maximum 48-hour retention period and strict privacy protections.

Flock Safety’s technology, which is currently used by over 5,000 law enforcement agencies, utilizes AI to log vehicle location, direction, and time, as well as vehicle characteristics like make and model. Civil liberties advocates and lawmakers, including Senator Bernie Sanders, have raised concerns regarding the lack of public consent and the potential for mass surveillance of residents' movements.