Cybersecurity Policy Report, Hawley Plans Bill to Protect Motorists’ Privacy From License Plate Scanners, (Sep 30, 2026)
Sen. Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) plans to introduce legislation to impose new restrictions on the use of data collected by automated license plate recognition (ALPR) systems, he announced today.
The Stop Flock Abuse Act, named after Flock Safety, a leading ALPR vendor, would “establish basic safeguards for AI-powered cameras to ensure these nationwide surveillance networks protect Americans’ constitutional rights,” Sen. Hawley said in a news release.
Sen. Hawley recently began looking into how ALPR vendors protect motorists’ privacy and held a hearing at which witnesses recommended that Congress require authorities to obtain probable-cause warrants before searching ALPR images for evidence of crimes (CPR, Sept. 24).
Sen. Hawley’s bill, as described in his news release, wouldn’t include a warrant requirement. But it would bar local governments that collect vehicle location data from selling or sharing the data “with non-governmental third parties.”
It would also require written approvals for every ALPR database search to “prevent users from abusing access to these powerful networks” and require agencies to maintain “audit logs” to record details about searches and identify “red flags, such as repeat searches of the same person or suspicious justifications.”
In addition, it would require agencies to “permanently delete driver data after ten days, with narrow exceptions for active criminal investigations.”
“AI-powered cameras produced by Flock and its competitors are tracking and creating digital footprints of everyday Americans—a nightmare for individual liberties unless Congress enacts meaningful rules and accountability,” Sen. Hawley said.
“Last week, my hearing on Flock brought to light the threat that these AI-powered cameras pose to national security and the privacy of everyday Americans,” he said. “That’s why I’m introducing the Stop Flock Abuse Act to establish basic safeguards for AI-powered cameras and protect Americans’ fundamental constitutional rights. Law-abiding Americans should not be treated like criminals.”
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