H.R. 10609House119th Congress (2025-2027)In Committee

Don’t Spy On Me Act of 2026

To prohibit the establishment, maintenance, and sharing of vehicle fingerprinting databases by the heads of Government agencies, and for other purposes.

AI-Generated Summary

Updated September 30, 2026 at 5:53 AM UTC

The Don’t Spy On Me Act of 2026 bars heads of U.S. government agencies from creating, keeping, or sharing databases that link vehicle information—like license plates, make, model, or location data—to personal identifiers. It gives anyone whose data is improperly collected the right to sue the agency for damages, possible punitive awards, injunctions, and attorney fees. The bill targets federal agencies that might use automated license‑plate readers to build such “vehicle fingerprinting” records.

Key Provisions

Prohibits any federal agency head from establishing, maintaining, or sharing a vehicle fingerprinting database.
Allows individuals or entities whose information is included in an illegal database to file a civil lawsuit in federal court.
Provides for actual damages, up to $25,000 in punitive damages if the agency targeted the plaintiff, injunctive relief, and reasonable attorney’s fees.
Defines a vehicle fingerprinting database as one that links a person’s name or a vehicle’s license plate to data from automated license‑plate readers, including vehicle characteristics and location history.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action

HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Oversight and Government Reform Committee

September 24, 2026

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

September 24, 2026

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Oversight and Government Reform Committee

September 24, 2026

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued September 24, 2026

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 10609

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

September 24, 2026

Mr. Stutzman (for himself, Mr. Harris of Maryland, and Mr. Harrigan) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

A BILL

To prohibit the establishment, maintenance, and sharing of vehicle fingerprinting databases by the heads of Government agencies, and for other purposes.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Don’t Spy On Me Act of 2026.

Prohibition on establishing, maintaining, or sharing vehicle fingerprinting databases

(a)

Prohibition

The head of a Government agency may not establish or maintain a vehicle fingerprinting database.

(b)

Civil action

In the case that the head of a Government agency violates the prohibition under subsection (a), any individual or entity whose information is the subject of such violation may bring a civil action in any district court of the United States against such Government agency with respect to such violation for—

(1)

actual damages for an injury resulting from the violation;

(2)

$25,000 if the court finds that the Government agency targeted the individual or entity in committing such violation;

(3)

injunctive relief with respect to such violation; and

(4)

reasonable attorney’s fees and costs with respect to such violation.

(c)

Definitions

In this section:

(1)

Government agency

The term Government agency has the meaning given that term in section 4 of the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (22 U.S.C. 1433).

(2)

Vehicle fingerprinting database

The term vehicle fingerprinting database means a database in which the name of an individual or entity or the license plate of a vehicle is linked to any other identifiable information obtained from an automated license plate reader, including—

(A)

any characteristic of the vehicle, such as the presence of a bumper sticker or roof rack on the vehicle, damage to the vehicle, or the make, model, or color of the vehicle; or

(B)

geolocation data, including any location visited and the frequency of any such visit.