Sanders, AOC, Merkley introduce bill to ban federal use of license plate readers

Senator Bernie Sanders, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Senator Jeff Merkley introduced the Ban Flock Act on Friday to prohibit federal agencies from using automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) and restrict their deployment by state and local governments. The legislation would block federal agencies from accessing ALPR data and prevent federal grants from funding ALPR systems in state and local jurisdictions. The bill permits exceptions only for toll collection and future Congressional approvals, with any authorized use limited to 48-hour data retention periods.

The bill emerged amid sustained public backlash against Flock, which operates the largest ALPR network in the U.S. with over 120,000 cameras processing more than 20 billion vehicle reads monthly. In August 2026, The Washington Post reported that at least 50 law enforcement officers were charged with or accused of misusing Flock cameras and other surveillance systems, including to stalk women. Over 50 U.S. cities either canceled, rejected, or deactivated ALPR contracts in August alone, according to anti-surveillance tracking app DeFlock.

Sanders framed the legislation in terms of artificial intelligence and privacy: "Going to the doctor? Flock knows. Dropping your kid off at school? Flock is tracking you. Flock is always watching. We cannot allow America to become a surveillance state where a handful of AI oligarchs profit by giving the government the power to track our every movement." Ocasio-Cortez stated the bill would "enforce our constitutional right to privacy and protect Americans from both corporate and government surveillance." Merkley added, "No one should have this unchecked surveillance power at their fingertips."

Flock responded that it "strongly supports legislation establishing guardrails governing License Plate Reader use" and welcomes Congressional conversations, stating that "public safety technologies are powerful tools best used in concert with strong policy, accountability and oversight mechanisms." The company previously announced privacy updates in August, including requiring law enforcement customers to adopt its Audit Assistance tool, which detects and flags abnormal searches. Flock maintains that its technology does not include facial recognition and that users cannot search specifically for humans in its database.

The bill would allow Americans to sue the federal government for ALPR violations and empower state attorneys general to enforce compliance. Governments failing to comply would lose federal grants from five departments, including the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security. Republicans have pursued alternative approaches: Senator Josh Hawley introduced the Stop Flock Abuse Act, which would establish federal guardrails including audit requirements and bans on data sharing with non-government third parties, rather than an outright prohibition. Representative Thomas Massie unveiled the Flock-Off Act, which would block municipalities from purchasing or operating ALPRs and biometric surveillance cameras.