- Florida is removing Flock cameras from state highways
- At the same time Texas is freezing future funding for Flock systems
- There are concerns over privacy and misuse
It's not just regular citizens who are turning against the hundreds of thousands of Flock license plate reader cameras across the US — now state authorities are also pulling back on their use of the scanning technology.
First up is Florida (via Fox Business), which has pulled all license plate readers from state roads, and given agencies (including Flock) 30 days to comply with the order. Florida governor Ron DeSantis said in a news conference that while he can see the usefulness of these systems, he's also concerned about potential misuse.
"What we don't want in the state of Florida is to have a digital AI surveillance state where everything we're doing is being tracked at all times," DeSantis told reporters this week. "Where is this data going? They claim that the companies aren't going to misuse it, but no one's watching that."
In a memo, the Florida Department of Transportation called out "concerning reports of misuse, data privacy concerns, and surveillance schemes" as reasons for the move. Several investigations over the past year have found police officers using Flock systems outside of their allowed remit.
Taxpayer money in Texas
Over to Texas, where governor Greg Abbott has ordered state agencies to pause funding for Flock cameras amid increasing scrutiny (via the Texas Tribune). Around 3,200 Flock license plate readers have been installed in Texas since 2023.
"[Flock cameras] are going to be required to be used responsibly if they’re used at all," Abbott said in a radio interview. At least six police departments and sheriff's offices across the state have announced that law enforcement officials are being placed on leave, criminally charged, or investigated for Flock camera misuse — in the last month alone.
Further reporting by the Texas Tribune has found that $30 million of taxpayer money has been put towards the Flock network in the state, with more public funding set to be added before the pause was announced. According to one Texas police chief, the cameras are essential for disrupting criminal networks.
For its part, Flock has been making moves to improve the security and privacy of its systems, including setting seven days as the default for deleting data that's not part of a criminal investigation — but the debate over whether the company's technology is useful or invasive looks set to continue for some time.
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