Findings

Congress finds the following: (1) The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution enshrines the right of the American people to be secured against any unreasonable searches and seizures. (2) Automated license plate reader technology, including those provided by Flock Safety and other similar enterprises, have expanded from systems initially designed to identify vehicles associated with criminal activity into large-scale surveillance mechanisms capable of collecting some of the American people’s most sensitive location information. (3) Certain automated license plate reader systems continuously collect information on every vehicle traveling on public roads and neighboring private property, to include not just license plate numbers, but vehicle make, model, color, and other distinguishing characteristics. (4) Such systems incorporate artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze and process such data into an aggregated and centralized form, thus permitting licensed users to reconstruct an individual’s movements, associations, and patterns of life without any individualized suspicion. Lacking adequate safeguards, such a surveillance system may assist a government official in abridging certain constitutionally protected rights of the American people, to include visits to places of worship, medical facilities, political gatherings, and other personal and sensitive sites. (5) It is evident that such technology encroaches upon every American’s right against unreasonable searches and seizures as guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment, and the right to peaceful assembly and free exercise of religion as guaranteed by the First Amendment. (6) In the incredible wisdom of Benjamin Franklin, he is quoted in a 1755 reply to the Pennsylvania Assembly by warning them that those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. That is as true today as it was in 1755. (7) It is incumbent upon Congress to protect the civil liberties of the American people against any threat thereto and prevent the Federal Government from providing any form of support or authorization for activities that violate the Constitution.