Navigating A New Normal

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Friend,   I hope this email finds you safe. This past week has been deeply disorientating for so many of us, including those of us at S.T.O.P.   But even as millions of us work remotely, the work of protecting civil rights goes on. This week alone, our staff was quoted in the Washington Post, C|net, and other publications on the privacy impact of COVID-19 health surveillance.   The coronavirus pandemic calls for extraordinary measures, but it also calls for extraordinary diligence form all Americans, especially as health officials contemplate emergency measures. As S.T.O.P. civil rights intern John Veiszlemlein and I wrote for NBC Think, these “emergency surveillance tools may easily be co-opted for other purposes -- everything from tracking graffitiing to tax evasion -- making Orwellian surveillance a permanent part of American life.” Times of crisis bring out the best from our communities, with neighbors coming together to support each other. But moments of crisis also test our commitment to the rule of law. We must ensure that those being given great power live up to their great responsibility, and each and every one of us must stay watchful of how our government’s new, powers are used and misused.   Stay safe, Albert Fox Cahn, Esq. Executive Director Our First Year Our Team Share Tweet Forward