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Flock License Plate Cameras Are Surging in Texas. So Is an Anti-Surveillance Backlash.
Lawmakers and privacy advocates say the network can be searched without a warrant and has expanded to more than 10,000 cameras statewide, records show.
- The Texas Department of Public Safety now maintains data-sharing agreements with 206 local police agencies, a 69% increase since February in the state's vehicle surveillance network using Flock Safety automatic license plate readers.
- These cameras use artificial intelligence to scan every vehicle passing by, uploading plate numbers and vehicle details to a nationwide database that police can search without warrants, raising Fourth Amendment privacy concerns among critics.
- Reports of anti-surveillance vandalism are surging across Texas and the country; Faribault authorities charged Justin Lee Campbell with theft after he allegedly stole a camera last week, according to criminal complaints.
- Instances of officers using Flock to stalk romantic interests in several states have prompted some suburbs to restrict data access and require warrants for searches, aiming to prevent civil rights abuses.
- U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky recently proposed legislation to withhold federal funding from municipalities deploying these cameras, while U.S. Rep. Keith Self introduced a bill requiring warrants for federal agency access to Flock data.
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21 Articles
21 Articles
Rusk County GOP Adopts Resolution Calling for Guardrails on Flock Cameras
The resolution instructs lawmakers to pass legislation that limits warrantless surveillance technologies. The post Rusk County GOP Adopts Resolution Calling for Guardrails on Flock Cameras appeared first on Texas Scorecard.
·Leander, United States
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‘Own the Narrative’: Leaked Flock Guide Shows How It Teaches Cops to Promote Its Tech
404 Media has obtained a coaching guide that Flock surveillance gives to police about “how to speak to city councils about public safety technology.” The handbook highlights how Flock and police team up to convince cities to buy and keep its automated license plate reader technology, even when there is widespread public opposition to it, and encourages police to “own the narrative before someone else does” by championing the technology before ci…
·United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources21
Leaning Left5Leaning Right2Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution56% Center
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources are Center
56% Center
L 31%
C 56%
13%
Factuality
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