S.T.O.P., 70 Civil Rights Groups Call On Speaker Johnson To Pass The POST Act.

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View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P., 70 Civil Rights Groups Call on Speaker Johnson To Pass the POST Act.   [NEW YORK, NY, 10/31/2019] -- Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy group, and a national coalition of 70 civil rights and community-based organizations sent a letter calling on New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson to support the Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act.  The groups called on Speaker Johnson to support passage of the police reform bill before the end of the year.   SEE: POST Act Sign-On Letter https://www.stopspying.org/post-act-letter   Post Act Explainer https://www.stopspying.org/post-act   “For years, the NYPD expanded facial recognition and other invasive surveillance without any civilian oversight,” Said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “This surveillance has fundamentally transformed our city, putting over-policed communities at risk for false arrest and worse. Cities around the country are going much further, and many are completely banning facial recognition. The POST Act simply requires the NYPD to do what every single other city agency does: show the public how its spending its money. Without privacy safeguards, NYPD information will continue flow to federal agencies, undermining our promise to be a ‘sanctuary city.’”   The POST Act was previously endorsed by the Progressive Caucus and Black, Latino/a, and Asian Caucus.  Additionally, 28 city council members and the New York City Public Advocate, Jumaane Williams, are co-sponsors of the bill. Speaker Johnson originally co-sponsored the POST Act in 2017, but the bill expired at the end of the City Council session, and he has largely remained silent on the bill since it was reintroduced in 2018.   SEE: Black, Latino/a and Asian Caucus Endorses 'POST Act' NYPD Surveillance Oversight Bill https://www.stopspying.org/s/BLAC-Endorses-Post-Act-drpz.pdf   2017 POST Act Bill Text https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=2972217&GUID=0D8289B8-5F08-4E6F-A0D1-2120EF7A0DCA   2018 POST Act Bill Text https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3343878&GUID=996ABB2A-9F4C-4A32-B081-D6F24AB954A0   The POST Act is part of a nation-wide effort to fight the growth of police surveillance technology. But unlike cities like Oakland and San Francisco, which require local legislators to approve each and every surveillance system their municipality buys, the POST Act only requires the NYPD to give the public notice about what systems it uses and how information is shared. Additionally, the NYPD would have to undergo an annual privacy audit by the Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD.   SEE: Community Control Over Police Surveillance https://www.aclu.org/issues/privacy-technology/surveillance-technologies/community-control-over-police-surveillance   San Francisco Bans Facial Recognition Technology https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/14/us/facial-recognition-ban-san-francisco.html The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider hosted by the Urban Justice Center. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color.   - END – CONTACT: S.T.O.P. Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn   Copyright © 2019 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved.