Protection Against Mass Surveillance Act

119th Congress Introduced by Tom Barrett and 6 co-sponsors

Prohibits federal and federally funded state/local/Tribal use or procurement of automated surveillance tech (facial/biometric systems) and requires deletion and inadmissibility of

Introduced in House

Summary of HR 9800 — Protection Against Mass Surveillance Act (119th Congress)

Purpose and intent

The bill seeks to prohibit federal agencies from purchasing, deploying, operating, accessing, or contracting for automated surveillance systems that identify, track, or record individuals.

It also extends a funding restriction to state, local, and Tribal governments by prohibiting the use of federal funds to acquire such surveillance technologies.

Key provisions and substantive changes

Prohibition on federal use of surveillance tech (Section 2)

Federal agencies may not use or contract for:
- Automated license plate recognition systems (including references to systems like Flock Safety cameras).
- Facial recognition technology.
- Biometric identification technologies (e.g., fingerprint, iris, retinal, voice, gait, and other biometrics).
- Any technology that captures, analyzes, or retains a person’s image, likeness, or other personally identifiable information for persistent or mass surveillance.
The scope covers purchase, deployment, operation, access, or contracting for these technologies.

Federal funds prohibition for state/local/Tribal governments (Section 2)

States, local governments, and Tribal governments may not use federal funds to purchase, deploy, operate, access, or contract for the same set of automated surveillance systems or technologies described above.

Data deletion and inadmissibility (Section 3)

Data obtained in violation of Section 2(a) must be deleted by the head of the violating federal agency within 30 days of acquisition.
Any data obtained in violation of Section 2(a) may not be admitted as evidence in any court or administrative proceeding (rules of evidence/application in proceedings).

Who is affected

Federal agencies: Prohibited from acquiring or using specified automated surveillance systems and technologies.

State, local, and Tribal governments: Prohibited from using federal funds to acquire or deploy the same technologies.

General public/data subjects: Indirectly protected by prohibiting certain surveillance capabilities and by mandatory deletion of unlawfully obtained data and exclusion from evidentiary consideration.

Procedural and timeline aspects

Introduction and referral: Introduced July 21, 2026, and referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Effective date: The bill text does not specify an effective date; typical legislative practice would require further House/Senate action to enact and implement.

Additional notes

The bill explicitly references automated license plate recognition and mentions a specific system example (Flock Safety), which may indicate a focus on commercially deployed mass-surveillance tools.

The measure includes a strong data handling safeguard by mandating deletion within 30 days for any data obtained in violation and by excluding such data from legal proceedings.

This summary reflects the bill’s stated prohibitions, enforcement mechanisms, and how it would reshape federal procurement and funding for surveillance technologies, as well as its data retention and evidentiary rules.