Sanders introduces bill to ban the federal government from using Flock
AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication
Senator Bernie Sanders (D‑VT) introduced the Ban Flock Act on Friday, seeking to prohibit federal agencies from using automatic license‑plate readers (ALPRs) or accessing data from local police and private operators such as Flock Safety. The legislation, though named after the company, applies to all ALPR systems and permits exceptions only for toll collection and future congressional authorizations that would limit data retention to 48 hours. Non‑compliant state and local governments would lose federal grant funding from five departments, starting the fiscal year after enactment, and could face lawsuits and enforcement actions by state attorneys general. The bill, co‑sponsored by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez and Sen. Jeff Merkley, targets a network of over 120,000 cameras that processes more than 20 billion vehicle reads monthly. It faces long odds in Congress.
💡 Why It Matters
- · It forces a federal‑wide privacy standard on a surveillance technology that has sparked nationwide protests and abuse allegations.
