For Immediate Release
S.T.O.P. Condemns Board of Elections ‘Data Dump’ as Privacy Breach
(NEW YORK, NY, 4/26/2019) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP), a New York-based privacy group, condemned the New York City Board of Elections (NYC BOE) for a “data dump,” publishing New Yorkers’ voter registration information on its public website. The release includes the names, addresses, and party affiliation information for New York City’s 4.6 active registered voters.
SEE: New York City Board of Elections Posted All Voters' Names, Addresses and Party Affiliations On Its Website
https://www.wnyc.org/story/new-york-city-board-elections-posted-all-voters-names-addresses-and-party-affiliations/
The posted information is a public record under New York law, but it was previously only available for purchase, limiting the potential for misuse. NYS Election Law Sec 3-103(5) also prohibits using registration records for non-election purposes, but the NYC BOE website contains no such restrictions.
“This irresponsible data dump exposes private information on millions of New Yorkers,“
said STOP Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “We’re especially concerned about the impact of this release on vulnerable communities, such as survivors of domestic violence, who actively try to hide their addresses. We are very worried that this irresponsible move will scare-off potential voters. There’s a world of difference between having this information free for purchase, and posting it on your homepage. It should be much harder to access our private information when there’s a real risk the information will be misused.”
The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project STOP is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider hosted by the Urban Justice Center. STOP 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.
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CONTACT: STOP Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn;
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