Flock Safety, whose controversial car-tracking cameras have come under increasing scrutiny, said Thursday that it would implement several updates to improve privacy protections and prevent misuse. 

To provide more local control, the company said it would allow individual police departments to restrict what other law enforcement agencies can see. For example, an agency could allow access to data on stolen vehicles but not immigration violations, the New York Times reported. 

The company also said it would reduce the data retention time to a week, down from 30 days, but departments would have the option to change those settings. 

Chad Marlow, senior policy counsel from the American Civil Liberties Union, told the Times that, while the changes are "good in theory," the company is treating privacy issues as a public relations issue. Other critics argue that only legislative changes will rein in surveillance tech, like that produced by Flock. 

Several thousand law enforcement agencies are utilizing the company's network of 120,000 cameras, which can read license plates. Reports of misuse and concerns about the technology's ability to conduct surveillance of law-abiding citizens have led to protests, and some cities have ended their contracts with the company.