Texas Governor Greg Abbott has frozen state funding for further Flock Safety AI surveillance cameras, as the technology faces mounting political backlash from across the spectrum over privacy concerns. The decision comes just before publication of a Texas Tribune investigation showing the state had already spent more than $30 million on the cameras, and follows a wave of cities nationwide, including several in Texas, cancelling their Flock contracts.

The Texas Tribune investigation found that spending was largely funded through a $1 fee added to insurance policies, ostensibly to combat catalytic converter theft. Flock has faced repeated controversies, including at least six cases in Texas of officers being disciplined or charged over misuse of the systems, alongside concerns about data-sharing practices, cameras placed near playgrounds, staff access to footage, unsecured video feeds and efforts to dodge transparency requests. The issue has become politically charged, with Abbott's Democratic gubernatorial rival Gina Hinojosa criticising his prior expansion of the cameras, and Republican congressman Keith Self publicly invoking Fourth Amendment concerns over "Flock cameras to kill switches."