For Immediate Release
S.T.O.P. Condemns Cuomo For Hiding Excelsior Pass’s $17 M Price Tag
The announcement came as the civil rights group published a copy of New York State’s contract with IBM to develop and launch the controversial vaccine app.
(New York, NY, 6/8/2021) - Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy group, condemned New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for hiding Excelsior Pass’s nearly $17 million potential price tag. Governor Cuomo previously stated that the first-in-the-country vaccine app would cost $2.5 million, but according to New York State’s contract with IBM, the full amount is much higher. S.T.O.P. obtained the contract after a months-long open record dispute with the New York State Office of Information Technology Services.
SEE: NYS Office of Information Technology Services - Excelsior Pass Development Contract
https://www.stopspying.org/excelsior-pass-contract
NY Times - New York’s Vaccine Passport Could Cost Taxpayers $17 Million
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/09/nyregion/excelsior-pass-vaccine.html
USA Today - New York launches nation's first 'vaccine passports.' Others are working on similar ideas, but many details must be worked out.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2021/03/26/covid-vaccine-passports-new-york-first-vaccination-proof-system/6976009002/
In addition to $2.5 million in development costs, New York will pay IBM between $7.2 million and $12.3 million in licensing fees and $2.2 million in additional implementation costs. According to the contract, the 3-year price of Excelsior Pass would range from $9,700,000.00 to $16,981,000.00.
“Every time Governor Cuomo hides the full truth, he undermines public trust and hurts the effort to get every New Yorker vaccinated,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “Governor Cuomo should have been open with the public from the start about the cost of this app. We should all be concerned that so much money is being gambled on this unproven and technology.”
Previously the civil rights group had questioned Cuomo and IBM’s claims about using “blockchain technology.” The group noted that IBM provided virtually no technical documentation for Excelsior Pass’s use of blockchain, in contrast to Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other open source blockchain products that make their source code available to the public.
Cahn continued, “this contract is alarming, not just because of what it tells us, but because of what it leaves out. This agreement provides almost no detail on how IBM’s ‘blockchain technology’ will actually work. From the beginning, we’ve called on IBM to explain how they are deploying blockchain. After seeing this contract, we have to ask if Excelsior Pass’s ‘blockchain’ is truly security or just a sales pitch.”
Additionally, the contract allows IBM and subcontractors to release users’ information to police if subject to a court order, and IBM is under no obligation to fight such a request. Lastly, the contract references additional implementation costs for an unspecified “phase 2” of Excelsior Pass, but no details are provided.
“New Yorkers deserve to know the full scope of the Excelsior Pass plan,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “How can we have an honest debate about the costs and benefits of this technology if we are only being given part of the story?”
Last week, the civil rights group released The Good, The Bad, & The Invasive, detailing the ineffectiveness, inequity, and invasiveness of vaccine apps, such as Excelsior Pass. In that report S.T.O.P. detailed Excelsior Pass’s security flaws, barriers to access, and potential to promote new forms of segregation.
SEE: S.T.O.P. Releases Report On Ineffectiveness, Inequity & Invasiveness Of Vaccine Apps
https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2021/6/2/stop-releases-report-on-ineffectiveness-inequity-amp-invasiveness-of-vaccine-apps
Report - The Good, The Bad, & The Invasive
https://www.stopspying.org/vaccineapps
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.
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CONTACT: S.T.O.P. Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn.
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