Two new bills in Congress would sharply limit government use of AI-enabled automatic license plate reader cameras, including systems sold by Flock and similar vendors. Sen. Josh Hawley introduced the Stop Flock Abuse Act to add safeguards around ALPR deployments, while Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Jeff Merkley, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez proposed blocking federal use of ALPRs and denying some federal funding to states that deploy them. The push follows growing scrutiny of large searchable camera networks and reported wrongful arrests tied to ALPR matches.
Why it matters: This matters to the public because it targets a fast-growing surveillance technology that can track where people drive and has been linked to misuse and false matches. It matters to agencies, vendors, and civil-liberties defenders because Congress may now impose real limits on how these systems are deployed, shared, and funded.
2026.10.02
100% relevant
This article establishes a distinct federal legislative and surveillance-policy story centered on bipartisan efforts to curb ALPR networks, rather than updating a previously tracked single breach, exploit, or enforcement action.
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