GoKawiilBernie Sanders introduces bill to bar federal agencies from using license plate readers
Senator Bernie Sanders introduced the Ban Flock Act, which would prohibit federal agencies from operating automatic license plate reader systems or accessing data from such systems run by local police or private vendors like Flock. The bill allows exceptions only for toll collection and future congressional approvals capped at 48-hour data retention, and would cut federal grants to state and local governments that fail to comply, while allowing lawsuits and enforcement by state attorneys general.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The bill targets a rapidly expanding surveillance network—Flock alone operates more than 120,000 cameras processing over 20 billion vehicle reads monthly—at a moment when local communities are already pushing back through contract cancellations and usage suspensions. Sanders' proposal could pressure companies like Flock to further tighten data practices, though its passage faces long odds given the current legislative landscape. The financial penalties tied to federal grants suggest an attempt to extend federal influence over local policing technology choices even without a direct ban mechanism.
- Sanders' Ban Flock Act would stop federal agencies from using or accessing ALPR data nationwide.
- Non-compliant state and local governments risk losing grants from five federal departments.
- Flock, the largest ALPR vendor with 120,000+ cameras, has already cut data retention from 30 to 7 days amid public backlash.
Source: techcrunch.com — Connie Loizos, 2026-10-03
Published there as: “Sanders introduces bill to ban the federal government from using Flock”
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