Issues / Privacy and Surveillance / Event · Aug 26 – Oct 2, 2026
Ban Flock Act
Three members of Congress introduced legislation to restrict federal use of automatic license plate readers. Senator Bernie Sanders, along with Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jeff Merkley, introduced a bill to prohibit federal agencies from using the technology. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi introduced separate bipartisan legislation to restrict law enforcement abuse of the systems. Senator Sherrod Brown sent a letter demanding FBI transparency on surveillance system purchases.
AI summary of the releases below · Oct 8, 2026
How the conversation moved
Democrat Republican · one dot = one action| Action type | Wk ofJul 5 | Wk ofJul 12 | Wk ofJul 19 | Wk ofJul 26 | Wk ofAug 2 | Wk ofAug 9 | Wk ofAug 16 | Wk ofAug 232 | Wk ofAug 301 | Wk ofSep 6 | Wk ofSep 131 | Wk ofSep 20 | Wk ofSep 272 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sent lettersTo agencies, companies, officials | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Filed or pushed billsNew, reintroduced or passed | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Other | 1 |
Where they stand
Support · 3
- DMerkley ORIntroduced legislation to ban automatic license plate readers
- ISanders VTIntroduced bill to ban AI-powered surveillance cameras and license plate readers
- DKrishnamoorthi ILIntroduced bipartisan bill to prevent license plate reader abuse
Oppose · 4
- DOcasio-Cortez NYOpposes AI-powered automatic license plate reader surveillance technology
- DBrown OHDemanded answers on FBI's planned acquisition of Flock surveillance systems
- RMassie KYOpposes federal funding for surveillance cameras
- RHawley MOInvestigating Flock's data collection and privacy law violations
What each party did · Democrats 3 · Republicans 3
- 1Sent letters1
- 2Filed or pushed bills1
- 0Other1
Most active
By state
Every action
6 actions · 8 releases- Oct 2, 2026
- Bill
DMerkley OR, DOcasio-Cortez NY, ISanders VT
Introduced the Ban Flock Act to prohibit federal use of AI-powered surveillance cameras.
- Letter
- Bill
- Sep 15, 2026
- Bill
Introduced bipartisan bill to restrict law enforcement abuse of automated license plate reader systems.
- Bill
- Sep 2, 2026
- Bill
Introduced bill to prohibit federal funding for automated license plate readers and biometric cameras.
- Bill
- Aug 28, 2026
- Statement
Announced investigation into Flock surveillance camera network over privacy concerns.
- Statement
- Aug 26, 2026
- Letter
Launched investigation into Flock Safety's AI surveillance cameras and data protection practices.
- Letter
Summaries, action types, amounts and positions are read from each press release by AI and can be wrong. Joint releases (same day, same action, matching title or amount) count once. How it works