Three Democrat lawmakers are taking a stand against Flock cameras. Senators Bernie Sanders and Jeff Merkley, along with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, are proposing legislation to block the federal government from using Flock cameras or even getting access to the data that is collected.
Sen. Sanders described the bill as a way to stop the country from becoming, in his words, "a surveillance state."
There has been bipartisan opposition to the rapid growth of Flock's surveillance systems across the U.S. Earlier this year, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley began a separated investigation of Flock's activities.
"Flock has assembled an unprecedented national surveillance network," Hawley said in a statement. "They boast more than 120,000 cameras across 49 states and more than 20 billion vehicle scans every month."
Many of Flock's cameras are under the control of municipalities, homeowner associations and private companies.
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While many police departments have touted Flock’s ability to help solve crimes, critics have raised concerns that the cameras invade personal privacy. There also have been recent examples of agencies misusing Flock cameras.
To address some of those concerns, Flock announced new privacy safeguards, including reducing its recommended data-retention period from 30 days to seven. Flock also said it will publish contractual language with agencies outlining who owns the collected data.
