A new bill from Rep. Thomas Massie aims to block federal funds from cities and police that use ‘big brother’ style safety cameras.
By Catholics for Catholics
Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky is introducing a bill to deprive federal funding from any local governments or police departments that use divisive Flock Safety security cameras, the Republican announced on Saturday.
The Atlanta-based Flock Safety, the company behind the controversial smart-cameras that can trace a car based on its roof racks, dents and bumper stickers, is now the goal of new legislation being sponsored by the Libertarian congressman in a push to fortify the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable searches and government surveillance.
“I’ll soon be sponsoring a bill to withhold federal money from municipalities and police departments that deploy Flock (and other style) cameras to surveil law-abiding citizens,” Massie said, according to the New York Post.
Massie posted the comments on X along with a “don’t flock on me” parody flag.
But a spokesperson for Flock Safety told The Post that Massie’s bill would “have real consequences for public safety.” The company calculates it has aided more than 1 million investigations, assisted in 20% of all solved cases in jurisdictions that partner with it, and has helped locate more than 10,000 missing people to date.
Thomas Massie says he will introduce a bill to withhold money from local governments that install Flock cameras. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/uMq06oNoID
— Michael Hennessey (@Snowflake_News) July 26, 2026
“Rather than banning a critical public safety tool, Congress should consider strong, clear safeguards that ensure accountability, oversight, and responsible use are enshrined in law,” the spokesperson said.
“We do not have to choose between protecting privacy and giving law enforcement the tools it needs to keep communities safe,” the representative added. “We can — and should — do both.”
Massie is retiring from Congress after his seventh term in office ends this January,
But critics of Flock Safety claim that the cameras serve as the local government’s “Big Brother”-style mass surveillance, with billions of monthly plate reads flowing into police databases shared across agencies each month.
In Georgia, 18 officers — including a police supervisor who used the camera system to track her boyfriend — have been arrested for misusing Flock Safety camera data, according to reports.
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