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ORWELL INDEX

Who uses facial recognition in Galveston County?

What we do not know

Galveston County Sheriff

  • Whether a face search was ever run in Galveston County, by whom, and against what images.
  • Under what policy, if any, the system could be used.
  • Why the clause left the budget narrative after FY2025.
  • Whether any audit or usage report was produced by the vendor.

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 Galveston County and how public comment works there.

How to show up in Galveston 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 ↗