(WJET/WFXP)-- As discussions around Flock Safety and similar automated license plate reading (ALPR) cameras powered by artificial intelligence continue, State Senator Dan Laughlin wants to ban using them outright in the Commonwealth.
Laughlin (R-49) announced in a memo Thursday that he plans to introduce a bill soon that would ban the use of Flock and substantially similar ALPR systems, citing growing concerns about potential mass surveillance from voters.
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The bill would not ban vehicle-mounted ALPR systems used by law enforcement and security cameras that do not identify and catalog vehicles, license plates or individuals the way that Flock cameras do.
Laughlin also called the potential level of surveillance concerning, saying they could reveal where people work, worship, receive medical care, spend personal time and who they associate with.
"Some of these systems do much more than record what happens in a public place," Laughlin said. "They automatically identify vehicles, catalog their movements and enter that information into a searchable network. That makes it possible to track and reconstruct where a person has traveled over time, even when that person has done nothing wrong."
Laughlin acknowledged that the cameras are promoted as a way for police to find stolen vehicles and help with investigations, but retorted that the vast majority of people captured on these cameras aren't suspected of any wrongdoing and used the COVID-19 restrictions as a warning.
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"If a network like this had been operating on a wide scale during the COVID lockdowns, it could have been used to identify Pennsylvania vehicles leaving the state, track where they traveled and record when they returned," Laughlin said. "Regardless of how someone felt about those restrictions, we should all recognize the danger of creating a system with that capability. Once the surveillance network is built, there is no guarantee it will only be used in ways we find acceptable today."
Officials at Laughlin's office said the first draft of the bill will be coming in the next few weeks as other officials review the memo to join as co-sponsors.
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