Lawmakers Introduce Multiple Bills to Curb Flock Surveillance After 404 Media Reporting
404 Media · rss · 2026-10-06
Spurred by 404 Media's reporting, US lawmakers from both parties have introduced legislation to rein in Flock's camera networks.
- Ban Flock Act: Announced by Senator Sanders, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, and Senator Merkley, it would ban federal agencies from using automatic license plate readers (ALPRs), cut federal funding to state/local governments using them, and let Americans sue over rights violations. Sanders slammed Flock for installing tens of thousands of cameras without consent.
- The reporting trail: 404 Media revealed cops running lookups for ICE, police using Flock to investigate anti-ICE and 'No Kings' protests, and Flock teaching cops how to surveil protesters in a webinar — all cited by lawmakers. Flock has since restricted cross-agency searches in several states.
- Second bill: Senator Hawley's Stop Flock Abuse Act would require written approval per search, mandate data deletion after 10 days, and ban facial recognition in ALPR networks.
- Separately, two House members asked the FBI how it plans to acquire nationwide ALPR access, a plan 404 Media first reported in May.
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