Big Brother Is a Texas Cop with an AI Camera, from The Barbed Wire

Howdy heat survivors, I’m The Barbed Wire senior editor Brian Gaar, and welcome back to Texas — where the weather’s hot, the edibles are (maybe) illegal, and Greg Abbott is trapped in a THC-flavored game of political Twister.

This week, we’ve got constitutional violations powered by AI, Satanic sass in your school hallway, and a statewide hemp panic that has veterans, farmers, and libertarians all yelling: “Do not harsh my mellow, Dan.”

First up, Gov. Greg Abbott is stuck between his lieutenant and a bag of gummies. Senate Bill 3 — a legislative nuke aimed at Texas’ $5.5 billion hemp industry — has landed on the governor’s desk, and now he’s got to pick a side: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who held a D.A.R.E.-core press conference while admonishing the media for covering THC like it’s 1950 … or everyone else.

Meanwhile, in “1984: Texas Edition,” cops are using AI to help ICE track cars. Texas police are reportedly using a nationwide AI license plate camera system to run immigration-related searches — despite ICE having no contract with the camera company. YAY.

In other signs of the right-wing apocalypse, Texas lawmakers voted to make public schools display the Ten Commandments, because nothing says “academic freedom” like state-mandated religious signage. 

And finally, at the ATX TV Festival’s 10-year reunion for “The Leftovers,” cast and creators reflected on how Texas — specifically Austin — became the perfect setting for the show’s second season, shifting the tone from bleak to soulful.

Texas Police Are Running Constitutionally Questionable AI License Plate Searches for ICE

Data first reported by 404 Media shows Texas law enforcement agencies conducted at least 180 immigration-related searches this year using an AI-powered automatic license plate reader network.

By Steven Monacelli

Many law enforcement agencies across the nation, including in Texas, use networks of cameras to automatically track cars — and some are using them to support federal immigration enforcement. 

That’s the topline from data recently obtained through a public records request first reported by 404 Media that The Barbed Wire has independently reviewed. 

Earlier this week, the independent online outlet reported that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has tapped into a nationwide AI-enabled camera network with the help of local law enforcement agencies. Their findings are based on data obtained by activists via a public records request to an Illinois Police Department for search logs from police departments around the country that have contracts with Flock, a surveillance company that provides automatic license plate reader technology to government agencies. ICE does not have a contract with Flock, which 404 Media noted as an indication that the federal department is using local agencies as side-door access to the tool.

The data reveals that several law enforcement agencies in Texas have conducted searches of the Flock camera network for immigration-related purposes — underscoring the pervasive spread of mass surveillance technology and how local law enforcement agencies are quietly using it to support deportation efforts.

Another recent story from 404 Media punctuates the point and demonstrates that it’s not just a matter of immigration. The outlet reported that a sheriff in Johnson County ran a Flock search for a woman who they said self-administered an abortion, citing concerns from her family about her safety. Last summer, Attorney General Ken Paxton asked a judge to strike down a rule that protects the privacy of pregnant people who travel across state lines to get abortions. Several Texas counties also have tried to ban travel out of state for abortion, which is illegal in Texas. If such bans become law, there’s little to stop law enforcement agencies from using license plate readers to track and charge abortion seekers.

There’s a lot to unpack here, so let’s break it down.

Want to see more? Become a member!