Pa. state senator pushes to ban Flock cameras and certain license plate readers

Our Take

It's always worth paying attention when a sitting lawmaker looks at the evidence on automated license plate readers and decides the answer isn't "more regulation" but "not in my state." FOX43 News reports that a Pennsylvania state senator is drafting legislation to prohibit Flock Safety cameras and other ALPR systems outright, which is a meaningfully different conversation than the usual debate over data retention windows and audit logs. A ban says the underlying architecture — a dragnet that logs every passing vehicle regardless of suspicion — is the problem, not just how long the data sits in a server.

We don't yet know the full contours of the bill, how it defines covered technology, or what carve-outs law enforcement might lobby for before it reaches a floor vote. Bills like this often get watered down fast once police departments and Flock's sales reps start making the rounds in Harrisburg. But the fact that it's being introduced at all is a signal that the backlash against blanket plate surveillance is no longer confined to activists and privacy nonprofits — it's showing up in state legislatures.

If you're in Pennsylvania, this is the moment to make noise, not just watch from the sidelines. Check our camera map to see what's already been deployed near you, and head to our take-action page for ways to push this bill forward instead of letting it quietly die in committee.