Rep. Tlaib introduces bill to remove and prohibit Flock cameras, mass surveillance technologies

Resources / Press Share on Rep. Tlaib introduces bill to remove and prohibit Flock cameras, mass surveillance technologies Oct 14, 2026 Press INKSTER, MICH. – U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) introduced the Get the Flock Out of Our Communities Act today with community leaders in front of a Flock camera in Inkster, Michigan, whose city officials just signed a long-term contract with the mass surveillance company. The bill would prohibit the use of federal funds to purchase or operate any automated mass surveillance systems, including automatic license plate readers like Flock. It would also require state and local governments to divest from such systems to remain eligible for certain federal law enforcement grants. It is the only bill in Congress designed to completely prohibit the use of automated mass surveillance technology, including biometric surveillance systems and facial recognition technology. “The mass surveillance crisis is not a dystopian fantasy—it is already here. Our children and neighbors cannot go to the park, drive down the street, go to work, or exercise their Constitutional rights without their privacy being breached,” said Rep. Tlaib. “Flock’s technology isn’t making us safer. Instead it has been used to stalk people, mis-identify and arrest innocent people, surveil protestors, and wrongfully record our neighbors. My bill would prevent our government on all levels from selling us out to Big Tech companies that trample our civil rights for profit.” Over 200 cities and counties, including Westland and Lincoln Park in Michigan, have cancelled their Flock contracts due to resident outrage. According to Data for Progress, a majority of voters — 52% — view Flock unfavorably, a sentiment that continues to grow as Flock and its abuses become more widespread. “People everywhere are starting to recognize that conflating surveillance with safety makes communities less safe,” said Tawana Petty, digital and data justice organizer from Detroit . “The persistent abuse of Flock cameras and other surveillance systems by law enforcement agencies across the United States, and the lack of transparency by the companies that market them has caused an awakening among residents and city government agencies who are ridding themselves of the technologies. The Get the Flock Out of Our Communities Act is responsive to the national call to protect all neighbors from being stalked and harmed by reckless actors and opportunistic corporations.” “Flock cameras are overall dangerous to a free society,” said Geri Biggs, Dearborn resident and community advocate. “There have already been cases cited  where individuals have been illegally stalked, including young women, by individuals in positions of power with nefarious intentions.Allowing this information to be shared with companies poses a threat to the civil rights of us all, and at the very least can be intimidating to the most vulnerable in our communities.” “Flock cameras are a significant invasion of people’s privacy and need to be seriously controlled, or eliminated,” said Larry Biggs, Dearborn resident and community advocate. “As soon as information is gathered by Flock, it can be shared with other law enforcement agencies, including ICE and CBP, with no control. All other invasions of people’s privacy must get a search warrant or have probable cause. Flock cameras have no such requirements.” “Flock and other vendors of AI-surveillance technology pose an existential risk to our democracy,” said Elijah Nemr, member of Metro Detroit Democratic Socialists of America. “With capabilities ranging from video and audio capture, to the processing and permanent storage of our most sensitive data, every person who values their independence and privacy must oppose this technology in all of its forms. DSA has successfully organized to end Flock in Westland, and we will continue organizing with our neighbors to get Flock out of our communities!” “The spread of mass surveillance systems is an existential threat to political and personal freedom,” said Jibran Ludwig, Legislative Strategist at Fight for the Future. “We have seen the current administration weaponize these tools to terrorize immigrant communities and protestors, while simultaneously forcing every single person into dragnet surveillance that puts us all in danger. But the threat goes far beyond our current political moment: the history of mass surveillance is an endless litany of abuse at every level. This bill is an urgent effort to uproot the mass surveillance systems which have been built up from the local level and down from the federal.” “Indivisible is proud to endorse the Get the Flock Out of Our Communities Act. These automated mass surveillance systems don’t just violate our fundamental rights to privacy and civil liberties – they fuel Big Tech’s broader efforts to harvest as much of our personal information as possible so they can bleed our bank accounts dry and monopolize markets,” said Andrew O’Neill, Natio