PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) announced an agreement with a license plate surveillance company on Friday, aiming to protect Oregonians’ data from certain out-of-state investigations.

Flock Safety — a public safety technology company that makes tools such as license plate readers — agreed to Wyden’s request that it will protect Oregonians’ data from “abusive access by out-of-state law enforcement agencies,” the senator said.

Wyden said the agreement comes amid concerns over “anti-abortion investigations,” by some out-of-state law enforcement agencies along with concerns over license plate data being used to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“Oregonians should never be driving in fear that automatic license plate reader cameras installed by police departments could be abused by anti-abortion forces in other states, or by Donald Trump’s authoritarian deployment of immigration agents,” Wyden said in a statement. 

“When I learned that Flock had adopted stronger privacy protections for other states, I demanded that Oregonians get the same protections too,” Wyden added. “I’ll keep watchdogging this company’s commitment to make sure it’s carried out throughout our state.”

The senator said he contacted Flock after confirming with Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield and Oregon State Police that there is no statewide policy on license plate reader technology.

Wyden said he also confirmed there is no state policy requiring Oregon police departments contracting with Flock to “lock down their sharing settings” to prevent out-of-state abuses.

Wyden said his team asked Flock officials to implement privacy filters in Oregon, that the company has implemented in Illinois, to stop out-of-state police searches related to abortion or immigration.

According to the senator, Flock agreed to the request and confirmed that Oregonians’ plate data will be protected as of Friday.

Wyden said police departments in other states will still be able to search license plate data that Oregon police departments choose to share “for other legitimate law enforcement purposes.” Wyden added that the new policy will not impact searches conducted by Oregon police departments. Oregon State Police told KOIN 6 News the agency is not currently working with Flock.

“I want to thank Senator Wyden for his work to get these additional privacy protections in place for Oregonians,” Attorney General Rayfield said in a statement. “This change helps ensure that data collected here can’t be used to target people for things that are legal in Oregon, like accessing reproductive health care or simply living here without fear. It’s a meaningful step in the right direction, and as we continue looking at how to strengthen Oregon’s own data privacy laws, this gives us a stronger foundation to build on.”

In a statement to KOIN 6 News on Friday, a spokesperson for Flock said, “Flock strongly believes that decisions about the use and governance of law enforcement technology are best made at the local level, in accordance with the democratic process. Putting control in the hands of accountable public servants ensures that decision-making is where it belongs: in the hands of the communities we serve. Flock worked with Senator Wyden to ensure Oregon agencies can use Flock LPRs to keep their communities safe while respecting state law.”

Flock Safety was founded in 2017 and builds “public safety operating systems,” according to the company’s website. The company’s products range from License Plate Readers, gunshot detection devices, first responder drones and public safety software.

According to Flock, its products are found in more than 5,000 cities “to capture objective evidence and deliver it directly into the hands that stop crime,” noting the company works with law enforcement, businesses, schools and elected officials.

Flock claims that its LPR technology does not include facial recognition and only delivers alerts based on vehicle data. Additionally, every user of the “Flock safety system” must enter a search reason or a case number before searching for data, which is then saved in an audit trail.