Flock Safety’s license-plate system can let anti-abortion states track women crossing state lines
Flock Safety confirmed that its license-plate reader database can be accessed by police in states that ban abortions to search for women seeking reproductive care in other states.
Trevor Chandler, senior director of public affairs at Flock Safety, told Suffolk County legislators that the firm’s license-plate reader network can be queried for "reproductive health" information, allowing police in abortion-restrictive states to locate women who travel for abortions. He noted that New York agencies keep a filter turned on to block such searches, while other states may opt out and conduct searches without a warrant, with data shared across agencies nationwide.
Flock previously labeled a 2025 report alleging a Texas sheriff’s office used its database to target abortion-seeking individuals as misleading, yet Electronic Frontier Foundation documents reveal the search included photos, text messages and pill packaging, though no charges resulted. The Texas investigation prompted bipartisan criticism and a House Oversight Committee probe. Johnson County Sheriff Adam King, involved in the case, has since faced unrelated felony indictments. Flock maintains the filter merely logs a reason for searches and does not automatically flag abortion-related activity.
Why it matters
It reveals how surveillance technology could be used to monitor and restrict women's reproductive choices across state lines.
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