Senator Bernie Sanders Introduces Bill Banning Federal Use of Automatic License Plate Readers
Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) has introduced the Ban Flock Act to prohibit federal agencies from using automatic license plate readers (ALPRs), including data collected by local police or private companies. The bill allows exceptions for toll collection and future congressional approvals, which must limit data retention to no more than 48 hours. If passed, non-compliant state and local governments would lose grants from five major federal departments unless they ban the technology. Flock is highlighted as the largest ALPR vendor in the U.S., operating over 120,000 cameras nationwide. The company has faced growing public backlash due to privacy concerns and misuse cases by law enforcement. In response, Flock recently reduced its default data retention period from 30 days to seven and introduced an audit tool for unusual searches. The bill is co-sponsored by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.). While the legislation faces long odds in Congress, it reflects growing concerns over surveillance technology and civil liberties.
Topics: data retention government regulation privacy surveillance technology