Flock Safety responds to Tennessee Congressman's surveillance bill
The short version: Rep. Tim Burchett's federal bill would choke off funding for ALPR networks, and Flock's mealy-mouthed response shows the company would rather write its own rules than face real limits.
Our Take
Credit to FOX 17 Nashville for getting Flock Safety on record after Congressman Tim Burchett introduced the Protection Against Mass Surveillance Act, which would restrict federal dollars from flowing into ALPR purchases and similar automated surveillance contracts. Burchett is framing this squarely as a Fourth Amendment issue, which it is — a nationwide camera network that logs every passing vehicle isn't just a tool for chasing stolen cars, it's a location-tracking dragnet that never asks for a warrant.
Flock's statement is the same move the company makes every time real legislation shows up: say you 'support guardrails,' then explain why this particular bill isn't the right one. It's a pattern. When lawmakers propose actual limits on retention, sharing, or funding, Flock suddenly discovers procedural objections. That's not a company welcoming accountability, that's a company protecting a business model built on selling access to millions of Americans' movements to police departments and, increasingly, federal agencies.
Bills like Burchett's matter because state and local fights alone haven't slowed Flock's expansion — federal grant money has quietly subsidized a lot of these camera installs. Cutting that funding pipeline is one of the few levers Congress actually has. If you want to see how far this network already reaches, check our camera map, and if you want to push back locally while Congress sorts this out, our take-action page has next steps.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of FOX NASHVILLE, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.