Bill would also block federal grant funding to state, local contracts
The bill orders that no federal agency, federal official or person acting on behalf of the federal government may acquire, possess, access or use an automatic license plate reader or the data those readers capture, including license plate data pulled from a database, UPI reported. An act of Congress would be required to make exceptions for the use of automatic license plate readers.
“At a time of growing concern about the unchecked power of artificial intelligence, Flock is eviscerating the very notion of privacy by installing tens of thousands of cameras in communities across America without their consent,” Sanders said in a statement. “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 framed the technology in similar terms. “Across the country, Big Tech companies like Flock Safety have built a mass surveillance system to harvest Americans’ private and personal data without their consent,” she said. “AI-powered cameras are keeping track of our every move and weaponizing this data against working people to make record profits.”
Flock Safety is one of several firms that offer automatic license plate readers to state and local governments across the country and is “perhaps the most notorious,” UPI reported. More than 120,000 Flock cameras were installed last year, UPI reported.
In recent months, incidents have come to light of law enforcement officers misusing the technology, including to stalk and harass people who are not subjects of criminal investigations, among them former romantic partners, UPI reported.
Concerns about the technology have come from both Democrats and Republicans, UPI reported. Last month, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., introduced the Flock-Off Act, which seeks to block local governments from even attempting to purchase or integrate automatic license plate readers and biometric surveillance cameras in their communities.