Bipartisan backlash to ALPRs grows as two high-profile bills are introduced
Bipartisan bills would restrict AI license-plate cameras from Flock, Motorola, and Axon amid privacy backlash.
Sen. Josh Hawley introduced the Stop Flock Abuse Act to restrict AI-enabled automatic license plate readers, including encryption, 10-day retention, search approvals, and a facial-recognition ban. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Jeff Merkley, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, proposed blocking federal ALPR use and withholding funds from states that deploy them. The bills would also apply to Motorola and Axon. Researcher Joshua Michael mapped about 300,000 Flock-connected devices against the company's 120,000-camera figure and alleged a November 2025 unauthenticated GIS access token.
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