Authored by Bryan Hyde via American Greatness,
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has ordered the removal of all Flock Safety automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras from state highway right-of-ways, citing privacy, data, and systematic surveillance concerns.
The Daily Caller reports that DeSantis ordered all Flock cameras to be removed from the "state highway system," including interstates such as I-10 and I-75, within 30 days, in a Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) memo on Monday.
🚨 JUST IN: Gov. Ron DeSantis' FDOT is hereby TAKING DOWN Flock cameras statewide over privacy concerns in state rights-of-way
All existing permits for automated license plate readers, even installed by local law enforcement, in state highway rights-of-way — are REVOKED
FDOT is… pic.twitter.com/H631aHoJhy
According to WCTV, the order specifically targets cameras on state-owned roads, including major interstates like I-10 and I-75 but does not automatically ban cameras operating on local city or county roads, nor does it impact devices installed on private or commercial properties.
Local law enforcement agencies will have 30 days to remove the hardware and if they fail to comply, FDOT will remove the cameras independently.
DeSantis remains supportive of law enforcement but acknowledged that growing evidence of camera misuse has raised legitimate concerns about government surveillance.
During a press conference last Wednesday, DeSantis warned against allowing Florida to become a "surveillance state" and said, "I think people are right to be concerned."
The Republican Governor stated:
But, you also have to say, okay, how could this be misused? And how could a private company misuse the data, but also law enforcement? We know there was an officer in Florida who was using the LPR data to track like an ex-girlfriend or something like that.
DeSantis called on the Florida Legislature to cement permanent regulations into law during the next legislative session and advocated for a comprehensive AI Bill of Rights to institute strict criminal penalties for data misuse and protect citizens from emerging digital monitoring methods.
Following the announcement, several sheriff's departments, including those in Putnam, Liberty and Franklin counties, announced they would end their own license plate reader programs.
Tyler Durden Tue, 09/01/2026 - 20:05Authored by Frank Fang via The Epoch Times,
A Chinese national studying at a Canadian university has been charged with lying to American officials to conceal that he took photographs at a Chicago airport cargo facility at the direction of a suspected Chinese official, according to a federal complaint filed in Detroit on Aug. 26.
The U.S. Department of Justice in Washington on Jan. 6, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch TimesZeng Weiheng, born in 2004, is charged with making false statements in a matter under federal jurisdiction. An undergraduate student at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, Zeng was issued a B1/B2 visitor visa in October 2022 and has entered the United States 24 times since then, according to an affidavit filed with the complaint by an FBI agent.
He was arrested on Aug. 26.
Authorities stopped Zeng for an initial screening on Aug. 23 at the Ambassador Bridge border crossing in Detroit, after linking his vehicle to a security incident at a FedEx cargo facility at Chicago O'Hare International Airport on April 21.
That day, FedEx employees saw an Asian male spending roughly 20 minutes at the facility. Surveillance footage showed the man climbing onto a construction forklift to take photographs and attempting to open a parked delivery truck and shipping trailer before driving off in a minivan bearing an Ontario license plate.
Zeng underwent three interviews with U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials during secondary screening, during which his account of his April trip changed. according to court documents.
In his first interview, Zeng claimed that he had visited tourist sites during his April trip, and the photos of planes in his phone were "pictures of model aircraft being tracked for a flight radar website," authorities said. When pressed in a second interview, Zeng allegedly admitted going to the FedEx facility to take photos of planes and revealed that he had also trespassed at a FedEx facility at Toronto Pierson Airport in 2025.
By the third interview, Zeng revealed that a contact in China had "assigned him specific planes and their tail numbers to photograph" and he was paid $20 to $30 per photograph, the court documents allege.
In his subsequent interview with the FBI, Zeng admitted that the aircraft photography was a cover story devised by his handler, and the "true task was to obtain interior photographs of the FedEx facility," according to the affidavit.
His Chinese contact "was primarily interested in information on transportation and logistics in the United States" and "asked for information of flight freight logistics, bus routes, and trains routes and schedules," the affidavit said.
Zeng also told the FBI that he suspected his Chinese contact was a Chinese regime official working for one of China's security departments, in part because the contact had provided him with "videos of scenes that only security officials would have access to."
For his communication with the Chinese contact, Zeng said he was mailed SIM cards from China's state-run China Telecom, which allowed him to "by-pass Canadian cellular network and connect directly with the Chinese provider network" to send text messages, according to the affidavit.
Zeng was instructed to use the SIM cards only in a Huawei-made phone, swapping in a new card every few months and destroying the old one. He was also told never to bring the phone with him on trips to the United States.
The United States has blacklisted Chinese tech company Huawei over security concerns and banned it from doing business with American suppliers, selling new network or consumer hardware in the country, or providing its equipment to U.S. telecom networks.
Zeng also told the FBI that the Chinese contact wanted him to travel to Orlando, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles "to obtain photographs of specific locations surrounding airports." Zeng said he declined, but completed "two taskings" and received a total of 500 yuan (about $74) for the photographs he took in Toronto Pearson International Airport and O'Hare International Airport.
As for his motivation, Zeng told the FBI that he thought it would be "cool" and wanted "to have the opportunity to work with someone like [agents] at the FBI," according to the affidavit.
The Epoch Times was unable to contact Zeng's lawyer for comment.
In a separate case, a Chinese exchange student was sentenced in 2019 to a year in federal prison after pleading guilty to photographing defense installations at the U.S. Naval Air Station Key West in Florida.
Tyler Durden Tue, 09/01/2026 - 20:05Venezuela could soon become a much bigger part of Chevron’s global oil business, according to Bloomberg.
The company is reportedly nearing an agreement to take control of operations at two large crude-producing areas in the country’s Carabobo region, adding access to substantial heavy-oil resources.
The potential expansion comes as Washington seeks to attract more American capital to Venezuela’s energy sector and boost the country’s output. Chevron already has an established presence there through a partnership with state oil company PDVSA, making it the only major US producer currently active in Venezuela.
Bloomberg reported that Chevron has also been discussing investment conditions with the government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez. Any new arrangement could improve the economics of committing additional capital to Venezuelan production.
The expected deal is unrelated to separate talks involving possible direct US government participation in Venezuelan oil assets. Chevron has not publicly commented on the negotiations.
The development marks a major shift in the US-Venezuela relationship after years of hostility. Washington imposed sweeping sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry during Nicolás Maduro’s rule, sharply limiting the country’s access to US markets and restricting American companies’ ability to operate there. Chevron remained a notable exception, continuing limited activities under US government authorization.
Relations entered a new phase following Maduro’s capture by US forces. The Trump administration has since sought greater influence over Venezuela’s energy sector, viewing the country’s enormous petroleum reserves as both an economic opportunity and a strategic asset.
For Venezuela, renewed US involvement could bring badly needed investment and technical expertise to an oil industry weakened by years of underinvestment, sanctions and deteriorating infrastructure. For Washington, expanding American participation could help increase Venezuelan production while giving the US greater influence over how the country’s oil resources are developed and sold.
Tyler Durden Tue, 09/01/2026 - 19:40