Texas Has a Privacy Law. Most Texans Don’t Know It.

Texas is the second-largest state in the country to have a comprehensive consumer data privacy law. It went into effect on July 1, 2024. And the vast majority of Texans have no idea it exists.

The Texas Data Privacy and Security Act gives residents the right to access, correct, delete, and opt out of the sale of their personal data. It has some of the lowest applicability thresholds of any state privacy law, meaning more businesses are covered.

But Texas is also home to one of the most aggressive surveillance landscapes in the country.

The Texas Data Privacy and Security Act

The TDPSA applies to companies that conduct business in Texas or produce products consumed by Texas residents. Unlike many other state laws, Texas has very low minimum thresholds — smaller businesses are covered, not just major corporations.

Your rights under the TDPSA: the right to know whether a company is processing your data, right to access your data, right to correct inaccuracies, right to delete, right to data portability, and the right to opt out of targeted advertising, data sales, and profiling.

The Texas Attorney General enforces the law with penalties up to $7,500 per violation. Texas also expanded its data broker law in September 2025 with broader definitions and increased transparency requirements.

The Surveillance Landscape

Facial Recognition

Houston PD operates one of the largest municipal facial recognition programs in the United States. Texas law enforcement broadly has been an aggressive adopter of the technology. There are no statewide restrictions on government use of facial recognition in Texas.

License Plate Readers

Texas has extensive ALPR coverage, particularly in Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth. The most powerful illustration of ALPR risk in Texas came when 404 Media documented that Texas sheriff’s deputies had used Flock Safety’s license plate reader network to search for a woman who had obtained an abortion.

This wasn’t a theoretical risk. Law enforcement used a surveillance camera network — pitched as a crime-fighting tool — to track a woman’s reproductive healthcare decisions.

ICE and Border Surveillance

Texas shares a 1,254-mile border with Mexico. ICE maintains a heavy operational presence statewide. The agency accesses commercial databases, license plate reader networks, facial recognition systems, and data broker information to locate individuals. Local police have been documented searching Flock’s database on ICE’s behalf.

Data Broker Presence

Texas is a massive market for data brokers. Your name, address, phone number, email, property records, and vehicle registration are almost certainly available on dozens of broker sites.

What Texas Residents Should Do

Step 1: Opt out of data brokers. Start with Spokeo, BeenVerified, WhitePages, Radaris, TruePeopleSearch, FastPeopleSearch. Submit formal deletion requests citing the TDPSA.

Step 2: Run a facial recognition audit. Given Houston PD’s program and the lack of statewide restrictions, knowing where your face appears is critical. Search PimEyes, FaceCheck.ID, Google Lens, Yandex, and TinEye.

Step 3: Check your vehicle exposure. Use DeFlock.me to map plate readers in your area. Check plate lookup sites and opt out. Review connected car data sharing.

Step 4: Disable ad tracking. On iPhone: Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking > toggle off. On Android: Settings > Privacy > Ads > Delete advertising ID.

Step 5: Harden social media. Private profiles, disable facial recognition, remove tagged photos, disconnect linked accounts, strip EXIF data.

Step 6: Secure communications. Use encrypted messaging for sensitive conversations. Use a VPN on public WiFi. Disable location services for unnecessary apps.

Step 7: Monitor for re-listing. Data brokers re-acquire information continuously. Plan to re-check quarterly or set up ongoing monitoring.

Using the TDPSA to Your Advantage

When submitting opt-out and deletion requests, cite the TDPSA by name. Companies take legal citations more seriously than generic requests. The $7,500 per-violation penalty gives your request teeth. For data brokers, reference both the TDPSA and the expanded Texas data broker law.

Keep records of every request: when you sent it, to whom, and whether they complied. If a company refuses, file a complaint with the Texas Attorney General.

The Bottom Line

Texas residents have stronger privacy rights than most realize. But rights on paper only matter if you exercise them. In a state with one of the most aggressive surveillance landscapes in the country — from Houston’s facial recognition program to ALPR networks that track abortion seekers to ICE’s commercial data access — exercising those rights isn’t optional. It’s necessary.