Abbott halts Texas state funding for Flock cameras after $30M buildout
Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state agencies to stop funding Flock license-plate cameras, a reversal of a buildout his own appointees ran — the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority routed at least $30 million into 3,200-plus cameras since 2023, including a $15.9 million DPS contract paid from a 2023 catalytic-converter fee lawmakers say was never pitched for surveillance. State procurement for AI surveillance now carries political risk in a Republican state, with cities canceling contracts, six departments investigating officers, and a Lufkin officer facing 100 counts over surveilling 11 people.
Source: texastribune.org ↗
Americans' Fourth Amendment right to be secure in their privacy does not disappear just because of new technology or artificial intelligence.
Why this matters
- → Gov. Abbott reversed a $30M surveillance buildout his own appointees ran, signaling political peril for AI-pow
- → Six departments investigating officers; one facing 100 counts for stalking 11 people reveals misuse risks lawm
- → Bipartisan privacy concerns emerging—Republicans now proposing warrant requirements for national license-plate