Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Tuesday came out firmly against the proliferation of Flock license plate reader cameras, saying he does not believe the government should be surveilling innocent citizens and warning that the technology invites abuse.
Appearing on Bloomberg’s Balance of Power, Cruz was asked about the growing debate over the cameras, which The Wall Street Journal reports now number roughly 120,000 across 48 states and capture an estimated 20 billion license plates per month. Republican legislation has been introduced to ban federal spending on the devices.
“I’ll tell you what a Ted Cruz would make of it, which is I don’t like Flock cameras. I don’t like government surveillance, I don’t think the government should be surveilling innocent citizens,” Cruz said. “We should use law enforcement to go after criminals. But we have a presumption of innocence.”
The Texas Republican drew a stark comparison, warning that the United States risks mirroring the surveillance apparatus built by China. “China has built an espionage and surveillance state. I don’t want to see America the same way,” he said.
‘These Flock Cameras Really Invite Abuse’
Cruz’s comments come as the use of automated license plate readers has drawn increasing scrutiny from both civil liberties advocates and some lawmakers. The devices, often mounted on police cruisers or fixed poles, photograph every plate that passes, creating a searchable database of vehicle movements.
“I think these Flock cameras really invite abuse, and I’m hopeful the political process will constrain it,” Cruz said, expressing optimism that legislative action could limit their reach.
The Wall Street Journal’s reporting, cited by co-host Joe Mathieu during the interview, underscores the scale of the surveillance network that has quietly expanded across the country. The question of whether the cameras could become the “next data center issue on the campaign trail” was also raised, referencing the political controversy surrounding large-scale data facilities in Texas and elsewhere.
GOP Legislation Targets Federal Funding
The Republican legislation mentioned in the interview would prohibit federal dollars from being used to purchase or maintain Flock cameras, a direct challenge to the industry’s growth. The bill reflects a broader unease within parts of the GOP about government overreach, even as some conservative lawmakers have supported expanded police surveillance tools.
Cruz’s stance, however, is unambiguous: he opposes the cameras as a matter of principle, rooted in the presumption of innocence and a distrust of mass data collection by the state. His remarks align him with privacy advocates on the left and right who have called for stricter limits on license plate reader programs.
The senator’s comments also signal a potential flashpoint in upcoming political debates, as candidates and voters grapple with the balance between public safety and personal privacy. With millions of plates being logged each month, the question of who can access that data — and how it is used — is likely to persist.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2026/08/26/cruz-i-dont-like-flock-cameras-shouldnt-be-surveilling-innocent-citizens/