Burchett Proposes Ban on Federal Mass-Tracking Tools, Targeting 80,000 to 100,000 ALPR Cameras
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 24
Burchett Proposes Ban on Federal Mass-Tracking Tools, Targeting 80,000 to 100,000 ALPR Cameras
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 24
Summary
Rep. Tim Burchett this week introduced the Protection Against Mass Surveillance Act to bar federal agencies from buying or using mass-tracking technology and to block states from using federal funds for similar systems.
80,000 to 100,000 Flock license-plate cameras are estimated to be deployed nationwide, capturing billions of vehicle scans a month and creating searchable records that privacy advocates say can reconstruct drivers’ movements without a warrant.
Flock says its cameras help support more than 1 million investigations a year, while police argue plates are visible in public and the company cites retention limits, user accounts and audit logs as safeguards.
Courts have so far upheld narrower ALPR networks, including a March Fifth Circuit ruling involving about 10 cameras, but judges in a separate case over Norfolk’s 176-camera system said denser surveillance could eventually cross Fourth Amendment limits.
Last month’s Supreme Court ruling in Chatrie on Google Location History did not cover ALPRs, but critics say it strengthens the argument that large archives of past movements deserve greater constitutional protection.