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ORWELL INDEX

Who uses facial recognition in Cameron County?

What we do not know

Cameron County Sheriff

  • Did the Commissioners' Court approve the purchase, and did anyone ask about it?
  • Who in the Sheriff's Office holds the five licenses, and what are they used for?
  • Is any record kept of who ran a face search, and on what basis?
  • Are the licenses still active?

What facial recognition is

Software that measures a face in an image and searches for a match in a database of known faces. It can be run on live camera feeds or on recorded footage after the fact.

How they work, why agencies buy them, and every county we have documented →

What you can do

Civic action

Show up

This technology is bought and renewed by boards, councils and committees that meet in public. We have confirmed where each of them meets in Cameron County and how public comment works there.

How to show up in Cameron County →

Personal protection

Protect yourself

Practical steps to shrink your personal data trail. Our guides publish at launch; until then, EFF's Surveillance Self-Defense is the best starting point.

Surveillance Self-Defense ↗