Cybersecurity Policy Report, Flock’s Nationwide ‘Surveillance’ Network Endangers Constitutional Rights, Schumer Says, (Oct 5, 2026)
The ability of authorities to search data collected by Flock Safety’s automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) in jurisdictions other than their own “presents a unique and immediate threat” to Americans’ privacy, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said today.
“Flock has essentially built a private, nationwide surveillance tool,” Sen. Schumer said in a letter to Flock Chief Executive Officer Garrett Langley.
“While law enforcement agencies rely on technology to assist in criminal investigations, the mass collection, retention, and sharing of location data on innocent people fundamentally threatens the Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches,” he said.
“I am particularly alarmed by the data-sharing capabilities facilitated by your ‘National Lookup Tool,’ which allows agencies to search data collected far outside their own jurisdictions,” he told Mr. Langley.
“The ability of federal agencies and federal law enforcement to utilize Flock’s network to track individuals exercising their fundamental rights is unacceptable. The pushback we have seen from various municipalities which are pulling flock cameras over data sharing concerns, demonstrates that the public does not consent to this level of unwarranted surveillance,” he said.
“Furthermore, recent reports indicating that Flock cameras are vulnerable to hacking with malicious actors allegedly extracting stored media and decryption keys directly contradict your company's claims regarding data security and encryption. Coupled with documented instances of law enforcement personnel abusing ALPR systems for personal reasons, such as stalking, the lack of rigorous oversight is glaring,” Sen. Schumer added.
He set an Oct. 16 deadline for Mr. Langley to provide information about Flock’s data-retention policies, any safeguards it had implemented to limit the use of the national lookup tool, and whether its cameras captured usable images of individuals outside of cars, among other things.
Concerns about ALPR surveillance have become a bipartisan issue in Congress. Sen. Josh Hawley (R., Mo.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s crime and counterterrorism subcommittee, has been investigating the ALPR industry and held a hearing on the issue last week (CPR, Sept. 24).
On Friday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) and Sens. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) and Jeff Merkley (D., Ore.) introduced bicameral legislation that would ban federal agencies from purchasing or using ALPR technology (CPR, Oct. 2).
A spokesperson for Flock said the company welcomed “the opportunity to provide Senator Schumer and other policymakers with additional information about our technology and how it is used by law enforcement agencies across the country.”
“We are committed to transparency and to providing context about our technology, safeguards, and how agencies use Flock to solve crimes and find missing people,” the spokesperson added. “We believe thoughtful conversations about public safety technology are important, and we look forward to continuing to engage with policymakers.”
MainStory: TopStory FederalLegislation DataPrivacy