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Flock Safety Faces Bipartisan Backlash Over Police Misuse of AI Cameras
The freeze follows reports of misuse and a Texas Tribune investigation that said state grants helped build at least 3,200 cameras since 2023.
- On Saturday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered state agencies to halt funding for Flock Safety cameras, freezing state purchases amid privacy concerns. The directive came just before a Texas Tribune investigation revealed at least $30 million in state grants expanding the surveillance network.
- Investigations revealed officers allegedly used the system to stalk women and conduct unauthorized personal searches, fueling mounting bipartisan pressure. Public unease intensified over the vast network capturing billions of vehicle movements monthly across 49 states.
- Independent analyses report a 71 percent failure rate for vehicle matches, while less than 1 percent of scans connect to criminal investigations. Flock recently reduced default data retention from 30 days to seven and added mandatory audit tools to address privacy concerns.
- Cities and counties are terminating contracts with Flock, though Abbott's directive does not prohibit continued operation via local or federal funding. State officials clarified the order only restricts state-level spending, leaving existing camera operations largely unaffected across Texas.
- U.S. Senator Josh Hawley launched an inquiry into Flock's data practices, demanding CEO Garrett Langley explain access to 20 billion monthly vehicle scans. Federal intervention signals the surveillance debate is expanding beyond Texas, potentially prompting national regulatory standards for AI-powered monitoring.
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County DA to address license plate reader issue
Chautauqua County’s district attorney has been receiving some criticism regarding some License Plate Readers, commonly referred to as Flock cameras, that were recently installed in the village of Fredonia. Those criticisms continued at Wednesday’s Chautauqua County Legislature meeting. At the meeting, both Pomfret Councilman Mike Lee and Fredonia Trustee Christine Cruz-Keefe were in attendance, questioning […]
Flock tracks your license plate. We tracked the $2M it spent on lobbying.
Flock Safety has poured more than $2 million into federal and state lobbying since 2025 as the fast‑growing surveillance company faces mounting scrutiny from lawmakers in both parties and privacy advocates over its ever-expanding network of license‑plate‑tracking cameras.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources93
Leaning Left19Leaning Right22Center37Last UpdatedBias Distribution48% Center
Bias Distribution
- 48% of the sources are Center
48% Center
L 24%
C 48%
R 28%
Factuality
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