Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered a stop to all state funding for Flock Safety cameras. These devices use AI-powered recognition to scan license plates and vehicle features. The move comes amid complaints about surveillance and reports of cops abusing the system.

What's changed

The ban is strictly about state funding: Texas won't spend any more taxpayer dollars on buying, deploying, or maintaining Flock Safety cameras or related infrastructure. It's a financial cutoff, not a change to how the cameras themselves work.

How big is Flock's network in Texas?

Since 2023, authorities have helped set up at least 3,200 of these cameras around the state. Building out that network has cost Texas at least $30 million so far. Those numbers show just how quickly the system grew thanks to state programs and grants.

Why did Texas pull the plug?

People have been raising red flags about AI surveillance, from privacy invasions to the risk of false positives. Things got even more heated after reports that law enforcement officers were misusing access to the system. All that led state officials to cut off further funding for Flock Safety from the Texas budget.