S.T.O.P. Launches 50 State Open Records Campaign On Social Distance Surveillance

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*

View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Launches 50 State Open Records Campaign On Social Distance Surveillance   [NEW YORK, NY, 4/28/2020] -- Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy group, announced the launch of a fifty-state open records campaign, requesting information on how government officials use electronic surveillance to monitor compliance with social distance mandates. The campaign comes in light of media reports detailing federal, state, and local governments’ social distance surveillance, including cellphone location data, CCTV, and unmanned aerial vehicles.   Wall Street Journal – Government Tracking How People Move Around in Coronavirus Pandemic https://www.wsj.com/articles/government-tracking-how-people-move-around-in-coronavirus-pandemic-11585393202   Gothamist – Videos: The NYPD Is Monitoring Social Distancing On The Ground & From The Skies https://gothamist.com/news/videos-nypd-monitoring-social-distancing-ground-skies   S.T.O.P. Social Distance Surveillance Project Website https://www.stopspying.org/social-distance-project   “While we have no idea if these technologies can fight COVID-19, we know that they can undermine millions of Americans privacy,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “The public deserves to know how our movements are being tracked during this pandemic. While some surveillance may prove helpful, many tools are a distraction from evidence-based responses and a clear and present danger to over-policed and undocumented communities. Surveillance vendors are selling their equipment as the solution to COVID-19 without any evidence they help, let alone safeguards against misuse by law enforcement and ICE.”   Working with area law schools, the civil rights group hopes to initially build-out a comprehensive view of surveillance tools used across New York State, and then across the country. The privacy group already submitted requests to the Centers for Disease Control, the New York City Police Department, and other agencies.   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. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.