Republican Florida congressman introduces bill requiring warrants for Flock Safety cameras

Although the bill covers any company that makes license plate cameras, it targets Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based firm that operates about 120,000 readers across the United States, except Alaska. Photograph: Charles-McClintock Wilson/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

A Florida Republican has introduced a bill that would bar US federal agencies from using Flock Safety’s licence plate cameras and similar systems without a warrant, amid a nationwide backlash against the surveillance company.

Greg Steube’s Facilitating Liberty and Accountability for Flock Observations (Flafo) Act, introduced on Friday, would require a judicial warrant before federal agencies could buy, operate, access or share data with networked licence plate readers. It would also make US Department of Justice grants to local police conditional on their adopting similar rules.