S.T.O.P. Releases Report On Dangers of Neighborhood Surveillance Apps, Calls For Holiday Boycott

View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Releases Report On Dangers of Neighborhood Surveillance Apps, Calls For Holiday Boycott Reports apps promote profiling, undermine perceived safety, and pose a threat to BIPOC residents. (New York, NY, 11/30/2021) - Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy group, released The Spy Next Door, a report detailing the dangers and bias of neighborhood surveillance apps that encourage users to upload video footage, photos, and descriptions of suspected crimes. Popular apps like Nextdoor, Neighbors by Amazon Ring, and Citizen can promote racial profiling and facilitate police violence toward BIPOC communities, LGBTQ+ communities, and people with disabilities. S.T.O.P. also called on the public to boycott holiday gifts that promote these platforms, such as Ring doorbells. SEE: Report – The Spy Next Door: The Danger of Neighborhood Surveillance Apps https://www.stopspying.org/thespynextdoor “Neighborhood surveillance apps are a free and dangerously easy way for police to expand their surveillance powers,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Research Director Eleni Manis. “Deputizing civilians to spy on one another, police suddenly have access to footage they themselves cannot and should not record. These apps frankly bring out the worst in people, empowering users to indulge their most racist and ableist prejudices. One post could lead to a violent or even deadly police encounter for members of communities targeted by police.” “This season, no one should be giving the gift of surveillance,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “When people buy these products, they’re often signing up their loved ones for networks built on bias, profiling, and police violence. We all deserve a safe holiday season, and more than ever, it's clear that surveillance is not safety.” SEE: Salon - As neighborhood watch apps ascend, so do the threats they pose https://www.salon.com/2021/05/29/as-neighborhood-watch-apps-ascend-so-do-the-threats-they-pose_partner/ CBS - Are video doorbells and neighborhood watch apps generating more fear than security? https://www.cbsnews.com/news/neighborhood-watch-apps-ring-doorbells-racial-profiling-2-0-cbsn-originals-documentary/ Key Findings Include: Neighborhood surveillance apps enable police to request app users’ video footage, photos, and input; Apps erode neighborhood sense of safety and social trust, stoking fear of often imagined threats; Tech companies have repeatedly failed to address rampant racial profiling and harassment of BIPOC individuals on apps; Apps expand police power and boost big tech profits through volunteer civilian labor; Biometric and other sensitive data on apps could be easily misused and monetized by tech companies, hackers. The report comes as neighborhood surveillance apps like Citizen also face controversy for substituting local journalism and enabling the spread of misinformation. Facebook’s recent entry into the market with the Facebook Neighborhoods app has heightened privacy concerns over data sharing and breaches. S.T.O.P. called for legal remedies such as biometric privacy laws, rights of publicity, consumer privacy laws, and legal liability for app content to curb tech monopoly power and minimize abuses on the apps. SEE: Tech Crunch - Citizen’s crime livestreams are no substitute for local journalism https://techcrunch.com/2021/07/26/citizens-crime-live-streams-are-no-substitute-for-local-journalism/ The Verge - Facebook’s Nextdoor-clone Neighborhoods is coming soon to four US cities https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/5/22420597/facebook-nextdoor-clone-neighborhoods-canada-us-cities-launch The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider. 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 © 2021 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.