S.T.O.P. Welcomes Congressional Call For Independent Probe Of BLM Surveillance

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View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Welcomes Congressional Call For Independent Probe Of BLM Surveillance   (NEW YORK, NY, 10/15/2020) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy group, welcomes a letter from Members of Congress calling on the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to conduct an independent probe of surveillance targeting Black Lives Matter protests. The letter from Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA), Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-IL), and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) highlighted numerous abuses, including FBI, Customs and Border Protection, and Drug Enforcement Agency surveillance of peaceful protests.   SEE: October 15 Letter from Rep. Eshoo, Rep. Rush, and Sen. Ron Wyden https://eshoo.house.gov/sites/eshoo.house.gov/files/Eshoo-Rush-Wyden%20ltr%20to%20PCLOB%20re%20protests%20-%2010.15.20.pdf   “The Trump Administration has illegally used federal agencies to spy on peaceful political protests,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “We already know that federal agencies took unprecedented steps to spy on political activists, but we need a comprehensive review to understand just how expansive this surveillance was. We need a full accounting of how the Trump Administration has targeted Americans simply for speaking out and saying ‘Black lives matter.’ These tactics undermine our most fundamental constitutional rights. No one should fear that they’ll be tracked by the FBI or Homeland Security for simply exercising their freedom of speech.”   The New York civil rights group previously denounced surveillance targeting Black Lives Matter protests and organizers. This included federal aerial surveillance of peaceful protests and local police departments’ use of facial recognition to track activists.   SEE: S.T.O.P. Condemns DHS Air Surveillance of BLM Protests https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2020/6/19/stop-condemns-dhs-air-surveillance-of-blm-protests   S.T.O.P. Condemns NYPD Facial Recognition Surveillance of BLM Protest Leader https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2020/8/14/stop-condemns-nypd-facial-recognition-surveillance-of-blm-protest-leader 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 –   Copyright © 2019 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved.