Texas Governor Halts State Funding for Flock AI Surveillance Cameras Amid Growing Opposition
Governor Greg Abbott ordered a pause on state funding for Flock's AI-powered surveillance cameras after a report revealed $30 million in grants sourced from a car-insurance fee, adding to bipartisan criticism of the technology.
Governor Greg Abbott issued an order on Thursday requiring all Texas state agencies to stop providing funding to Flock Safety, the company that supplies AI-enabled surveillance cameras. The decision follows a Texas Tribune report that the state had allocated at least $30 million in grants to local agencies for the cameras, financed through a surcharge on car-insurance premiums.
The move adds to a wave of bipartisan scrutiny of Flock's technology, with both Republican and Democratic officials in several states raising concerns about privacy and data use. In Texas, the governor's Democratic opponent, Gina Hinojosa, recently aired a campaign advertisement warning that the cameras record license plates and locations without a warrant.
Similar criticism has emerged elsewhere; candidates in Michigan and Pennsylvania have campaigned on anti-surveillance platforms, and Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri announced a Senate investigation into Flock Safety's data-handling practices. The company reports having more than 120,000 cameras deployed across 49 states.