Charles Van Morgan
Role at the time: Independent candidate for governor of Tennessee, in an emailed statement
Statement summary
In an email to Dispute Index on October 13, 2026, Charles Van Morgan, an independent candidate for governor of Tennessee, said he opposes Flock-style automated license plate surveillance networks and supports their removal. He said he has no objection to ordinary traffic cameras but that interconnected plate readers able to track people's movements are an unacceptable intrusion on privacy.
“I oppose Flock-style automated license plate surveillance networks and support their removal. Freedom should be the rule, not government surveillance. I have no objection to ordinary traffic cameras used to observe road conditions. However, interconnected license plate readers capable of tracking citizens' movements and reconstructing their daily lives are an unacceptable intrusion on personal privacy.”
Read the full email
Mr. Weller, I oppose Flock-style automated license plate surveillance networks and support their removal. Freedom should be the rule, not government surveillance. I have no objection to ordinary traffic cameras used to observe road conditions. However, interconnected license plate readers capable of tracking citizens' movements and reconstructing their daily lives are an unacceptable intrusion on personal privacy. Government should not continuously monitor millions of innocent motorists simply because the technology exists. If an extraordinary emergency or legitimate national security threat creates a specific need for such technology, its temporary deployment should require independent judicial authorization, except when immediate action is necessary to protect human life. If we need these systems for a genuine emergency, we can install them when necessary. We do not need to sacrifice everyone's privacy today out of fear of what might happen tomorrow. I also oppose private companies collecting, retaining, selling, or sharing this surveillance information. Charles Van Morgan Independent Candidate for Governor of Tennessee
Emailed reply from Charles Van Morgan, an independent candidate for governor of Tennessee, to a Dispute Index question on Flock-style license plate camera networks. He opposes the networks and supports their removal, with a narrow exception for emergencies under judicial authorization.
Why we used this label
The reference point is whether networked license-plate reader systems such as Flock should exist and be used. Morgan opposes the networks and supports their removal, so we labeled it Condemned with the Ban or remove step. He allows temporary use in an extraordinary emergency with independent judicial authorization, which is a narrow exception to removal rather than a plan to keep the systems.