For Immediate Release
Amnesty International USA, S.T.O.P. Sue NYPD For BLM Surveillance Records
(New York, NY, 7/16/21) - Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a privacy and civil rights group, announced their lawsuit against the NYPD on behalf of Amnesty International USA (AI USA) to obtain NYPD records on its surveillance of last year’s historic Black Lives Matter protests. S.T.O.P. commenced the Article 78 proceeding yesterday in New York State Supreme Court, ten months after AI USA filed its public records request under New York’s Freedom of Information Law [FOIL]. The case argues that the NYPD wrongfully rejected Amnesty International's FOIL request and a subsequent appeal
SEE: Amnesty International USA V. NYPD Summary page
https://www.stopspying.org/protest-surveillance-lawsuit
Amnesty International USA v. New York (Article 78 Petition)
https://www.stopspying.org/s/Verified-Petition-8xlg.pdf
“New Yorkers fighting for racial justice and police accountability, have a right to protest, freely, without fear of surveillance and persecution,” said Amnesty International Researcher on Artificial Intelligence, Dr Matt Mahmoudi. “By refusing to cooperate with Amnesty’s request, the NYPD is trying to avoid scrutiny of how far they will go to curb people’s right to freedoms of assembly and expression. New Yorkers have a right to know the full details of the NYPD’s use of facial recognition for mass and discriminatory surveillance.”
“When New Yorkers spoke out against police violence, police responded with even more violence and surveillance,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “NYPD violence was witnessed around the world, but no one has seen the full scope of their anti-protest surveillance. That’s why we’re proud to represent Amnesty International in this crucial lawsuit against the NYPD. In a democracy, police can’t be allowed to target and track protesters in secret. Seeing the documents from last summer’s protest surveillance is the first step towards stopping these abuses in the future.”
SEE: Gothamist - NYPD Used Facial Recognition Technology In Siege Of Black Lives Matter Activist’s Apartment
https://gothamist.com/news/nypd-used-facial-recognition-unit-in-siege-of-black-lives-matter-activists-apartment
AI USA’s FOIL request calls on NYPD to produce records on the use of facial recognition, drones, gait recognition, cell-site simulators, and ambient sound recording devices from March 1 through September 1, 2020. It also requests information about related support to NYPD from the New York Police Foundation, Inc., such as donated funds used to procure the specified surveillance technologies.
SEE: Amnesty International FOIL Request
https://www.stopspying.org/s/NYPD-FOIL-Request-FINAL.pdf
The lawsuit comes after a recent U.S Government Accountability Office report found that six federal agencies used facial recognition on peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters while only three agencies used the technology in response to the events of January 6th. The lawsuit also comes a week after S.T.O.P. filed another lawsuit against NYPD for their refusal to produce records on facial recognition and their claim that the software does not involve racial and gender bias.
SEE: GAO - Facial Recognition Technology: Federal Law Enforcement Agencies Should Better Assess Privacy and Other Risks
https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-21-518
S.T.O.P. Sues NYPD For Records Of Facial Recognition Bias, Releases Facial Recognition Report
https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2021/7/8/stop-sues-nypd-for-records-of-facial-recognition-bias-releases-facial-recognition-report
Amnesty International is an independent global human rights movement of more than ten million people. Amnesty campaigns for a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights instruments. In pursuit of this vision, Amnesty International’s mission is to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of these rights.
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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