Texas Governor Greg Abbott froze state spending on new Flock cameras with AI-enabled surveillance. The decision came shortly before the Texas Tribune's investigation into spending on the system was published.
According to the description, the state spent more than 30 million dollars on the cameras. The majority of funds, it is reported, were raised through an additional surcharge of 1 dollars per policy; it was linked to the fight against catalytic converter thefts.
The story is notable because Flock cameras faced privacy criticism across the political spectrum. From the available material it is unclear whether the freeze represents a full rejection of the program or merely a halt to new spending.
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Why it matters
The likely near-term consequence is a review of current expenditures and the funding terms for the cameras. The next observable signal will be an official explanation from the Texas administration or the publication of details of the Texas Tribune investigation. Significant uncertainty remains: the available material does not specify the scale and duration of the freeze.