Texas Governor Greg Abbot blocks state funding for Flock AI surveillance cameras
Texas Governor Greg Abbot issued an order on Thursday night requiring all state agencies to stop funding the AI surveillance camera company Flock. This decision follows a report that the state of Texas spent at least $30 million in grants provided to local agencies to acquire Flock cameras, funded by a higher fee on car insurance policies. The move comes as both Republican and Democratic politicians across the country express concern over the surveillance technology. In Michigan, Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Republican candidate Mike Rogers have both campaigned on anti-surveillance platforms. Additionally, Republican Senator Josh Hawley announced an investigation into Flock Safety to determine how the company handles captured data. While many cities in Central Texas used the insurance fee grants to install Flock cameras, the Waco Police Department confirmed it does not use Flock branded cameras. Public Information Officer Cierra Shipley stated that the Waco Police Department uses Automated License Plate Recognition technology in other formats to identify suspect vehicles and locate missing persons.
Sources
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Texas blocks funding for Flock as backlash grows against AI surveillance cameras
Mashable
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Waco Police confirm department is using ALPR technology, but not Flock branded cameras
KWTX