A federal judge in Oklahoma ruled that a warrantless Flock license plate reader search violated the Fourth Amendment, calling the 120,000-camera network 'a type of indiscriminate mass surveillance.' On the same day, Senator Bernie Sanders introduced the Ban Flock Act — co-sponsored by AOC and Senator Merkley — which would bar federal agencies from using automated license plate readers broadly (not just Flock's) and cut federal funding to state and local governments that use them, while Republican Senator Josh Hawley proposed narrower ALPR limits. Flock is not a party to the Oklahoma case and says it expects the ruling to be appealed, but it represents the first time a federal judge has found Flock searches themselves unconstitutional and directly undercuts the CEO's long-standing public claim that the issue is 'pretty cut and dry.' Together, the ruling and legislation mark the most significant bipartisan backlash yet against ALPR networks that record 20 billion vehicle scans per month.
Last Updated: