# Legal Fellow Mike Fox: Federal Law Needed to Rein in Flock Camera Surveillance 

True accountability requires holding every link in the chain responsible: the corporations manufacturing and operating the automated tools, the jurisdictions purchasing them, and the officers executing high-risk traffic stops based on unverified alerts.

August 14, 2026 • News Releases 

A recent essay in *The Atlantic* titled “[In Defense of Flock](https://url.avanan.click/v2/r01/___https://zwly9k6z.r.us-east-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:*2F*2Fwww.theatlantic.com*2Fideas*2F2026*2F08*2Fflock-safety-cameras-ai-surevillance*2F688219*2F/1/010001a000658070-70d9d5a5-4f20-4b9c-bb25-4ca1c7c1e21a-000000/g3HuEKlmurcBNVHCca4NvZtIAJ4=473___.YXAzOmNhdG9pbnN0aXR1dGU6YTpvOjAxOGFhMzkzY2VlZTBhYzQzNjJkZmEwMmNkYzg2MWVlOjc6ZjYxOTo1ZGQ2MmJmZTI4ZDI4YTU5NDg3M2YzOWNkM2VjYjZhMzY0NTQ4YTBkYjhlYmNhMTFmYTc5ZjUyMWY0YTZjYjgzOmg6VDpO)” discusses how Flock cameras will result in the certainty of apprehension, ignoring the concerns that come with allowing a mass surveillance system to remain undeterred throughout the country.

In a new [blog post](https://url.avanan.click/v2/r01/___https://zwly9k6z.r.us-east-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:*2F*2Fwww.cato.org*2Fblog*2Fdigital-panopticon-why-automated-surveillance-threatens-free-society/1/010001a000658070-70d9d5a5-4f20-4b9c-bb25-4ca1c7c1e21a-000000/5_I7WMkYvZzbCsRPB0x2FMr4LjY=473___.YXAzOmNhdG9pbnN0aXR1dGU6YTpvOjAxOGFhMzkzY2VlZTBhYzQzNjJkZmEwMmNkYzg2MWVlOjc6ZWM5ZDpkYjUxMWEzYjc2NjIwY2Q2NjFkM2ZjYjBhMzI5MmY2NDQ3NDZmMDIzYzAzNzVmNmE5ZTIyZjkzZmVjNGVmNDdjOmg6VDpO), [Mike Fox ](https://url.avanan.click/v2/r01/___https://zwly9k6z.r.us-east-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:*2F*2Fwww.cato.org*2Fpeople*2Fmike-fox/1/010001a000658070-70d9d5a5-4f20-4b9c-bb25-4ca1c7c1e21a-000000/p-KSsGUxQVI3Al4qw3jQTvS-irY=473___.YXAzOmNhdG9pbnN0aXR1dGU6YTpvOjAxOGFhMzkzY2VlZTBhYzQzNjJkZmEwMmNkYzg2MWVlOjc6MmY5NjoxZDM5OWYwZjlmYWI0OGY3ZTYyZDE0OTFjMmM4NGI5YTZlOTFmN2I1YmE3MjJkNzU0NTNkMjA5NTc3NmIxZjdhOmg6VDpO), a legal fellow at the Cato Institute, details how the deployment of mass automated license plate readers (ALPRs) can be abused and violate the Fourth Amendment, writing in part:

> True accountability requires holding every link in the chain responsible: the corporations manufacturing and operating the automated tools, the jurisdictions purchasing them, and the officers executing high-risk traffic stops based on unverified alerts. Financial liability not only compensates citizens whose constitutional rights have been violated, but it also creates a powerful market disincentive against deploying flawed surveillance tech. While states and municipalities can, and should, follow the lead of cities like Chandler, Arizona, by discontinuing Flock-style contracts, federal legislation is essential to ensure nationwide legal accountability when these systems inevitably fail.
> 
> Flock is merely one piece of a vastly expanding surveillance state. The company’s potential downfall should not be blamed on legislation targeting ALPRs specifically but through the firm enforcement of the Fourth Amendment itself. In a free society, companies that thrive on infringing upon constitutional rights should not be economically viable.

To speak with Mike Fox, contact Cato PR at [pr@​cato.​org](mailto:pr@cato.org).

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