Lawmakers Introduce Bill Restricting Federal License Plate Reader Use
Ocasio-Cortez, Sanders and Merkley introduced the Ban Flock Act to restrict federal use of license-plate readers and related funding. Coverage differs on whether the central issue is privacy risks, the bill’s scope or alternative approaches to regulating the cameras.
How each side told it
- Northeast Times · Senators Propose Ban on Federal Use of License Plate ReadersNO PUBLISHED LEAN
- TechCrunch · Sanders introduces bill to ban the federal government from using FlockNO PUBLISHED LEAN
- Mashable · Federal Flock ban: Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez introduce new billNO PUBLISHED LEAN
- Gadget Review · Bernie Sanders, AOC, and Jeff Merkley Just Introduced the Ban Flock ActNO PUBLISHED LEAN
- KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos (original publisher not identified) · Progressives unveil legislation cracking down on Flock camerasORIGINAL PUBLISHER NOT IDENTIFIED
Who’s in it, and how each side portrayed them
Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez were named together by 13 of 15 outlets. Counted by outlet.
Introduced the Ban Flock Act with Ocasio-Cortez and Merkley, arguing that automated license-plate readers threaten privacy.
Introduced the Ban Flock Act with Sanders and Merkley to restrict federal use of automated license-plate readers.
Joined Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez in introducing legislation to restrict federal use of license-plate readers and related funding.
What Congress actually did
FACTS FROM THE HOUSE RECORD AND CONGRESS.GOV, NOT FROM COVERAGE
Ban Flock Act
Automatic license plate readers record details about vehicles and can help track their movements. The Ban Flock Act would restrict federal use of the readers and their data, condition certain federal grants on state and local limits, and bar most federal funding for reader-related activities. It would allow limited toll-only use under rules for handling the data.
- IntroducedTHIS STORYOCT 1 · HOUSE
- Passed House
- Senate passage
- Signed into law
When each side picked it up
When each side picked it up. left-leaning: 3 articles, first fri 9:53 am. center: 4 articles, first fri 9:39 am. right-leaning: 3 articles, first fri 12:36 pm. unrated: 5 articles, first fri 9:50 am.
What the members said themselves
Press releases from members’ offices. Kept apart from news and not counted as coverage.
- Sen. Bernie SandersFRI OCT 2NEWS: Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez, Merkley Unveil Ban Flock Act to Protect Americans’ Right to PrivacyPRESS RELEASESANDERS.SENATE.GOV ↗(opens the press release on sanders.senate.gov)
- Sen. Jeff MerkleyFRI OCT 2Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez, Merkley Unveil Ban Flock Act to Protect Americans’ Right to PrivacyPRESS RELEASEMERKLEY.SENATE.GOV ↗(opens the press release on merkley.senate.gov)
Releases collected by Congress Press ↗ (Derek Willis, MIT License)
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