Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) on Friday introduced the Ban Flock Act, which would prohibit the federal government from using automatic licence plate readers or tapping into data collected by local law enforcement and private companies. Despite its name, the bill targets all ALPR systems, not just those operated by Flock, the largest vendor in the United States with more than 120,000 cameras and a network that processes over 20 billion vehicle reads each month, according to Sanders.
The bill includes exceptions only for toll collection and for uses that Congress specifically approves in future legislation, which would have to limit data retention to no longer than 48 hours. Under the proposed law, state and local governments would lose grants from five federal departments, including the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security, unless they ban the technology. Americans could also sue the federal government over violations, and state attorneys general could enforce the law.
The legislation comes amid increasing public anger and a growing number of cities suspending or cancelling contracts with Flock. In one high-profile case, a former Milwaukee police officer pleaded guilty to misconduct after searching for his ex-partner and her ex 179 times on the platform. In response to such incidents, Flock has tightened its rules. In August, CEO Garrett Langley announced a new default data retention period of seven days, down from 30, and an audit tool that locks officers out of the system when it flags unusual searches pending review. During a recent podcast interview, when investor Jason Calacanis suggested a "double-key" system requiring two people to approve a search, Langley said the idea is "on the whiteboard."
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) are co-sponsors of the bill, which faces long odds of passing, like most proposed legislation.