
After Town Bans Flock, Councilmember Crashes Out, Proposes Internet and Phone Ban
The Bandera, Texas city council voted to terminate its contract with the surveillance company Flock after significant resident opposition. Following the vote, Councilmember Jeff Flowers proposed a ban on all technology in the town, suggesting a return to 1880. This proposal comes amid ongoing debates about privacy and surveillance in the community, which has one of the lowest crime rates in the state.
- ▪The Bandera city council voted 3-2 to end its contract with Flock, a surveillance company.
- ▪Councilmember Jeff Flowers proposed banning cell phones, the internet, and cameras in the town.
- ▪Residents have expressed strong opposition to the Flock cameras, leading to vandalism and protests against their installation.
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| Original publisher | 404 Media |
| Canonical URL | https://www.404media.co/after-town-bans-flock-councilmember-crashes-out-proposes-internet-and-phone-ban/ |
| Publication time | Wed, 20 May 2026 13:44:08 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-20T13:50:02.598Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-20T13:50:02.598Z |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
After months of discussion and outrage from residents, the city council of the tiny town of Bandera, Texas voted 3-2 to immediately end its contract with the surveillance company Flock. In the aftermath of the vote, one of the dissenting council members crashed out and said he would be introducing measures to ban cell phones, the internet, cameras, and nearly all technology in the town of roughly 900 people.Bandera had a state grant to install eight Flock Safety AI license plate reader cameras in the tiny town.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at 404 Media.