S.T.O.P. Condemns ShotSpotter Breach Of Privacy Policy

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View this email in your browser For Immediate Release   S.T.O.P. Condemns ShotSpotter Breach Of Privacy Policy (New York, NY 12/16/22) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, condemns ShotSpotter’s violation of the company’s privacy policy, secretly disclosing to the NYPD where the company’s gunshot detection sensors are located. This morning, the Legal Aid Society (LAS) released emails showing that NYPD leadership is aware of specific ShotSpotter sensor locations, which goes against the spyware firm’s official policy. S.T.O.P. supported LAS’s warning that this breach allows NYPD to access ShotSpotter’s 24/7 audio recordings to surveil communities targeted by the sensors. SEE: CityLab - In New York Neighborhood, Police and Tech Company Flout Privacy Policy, Advocates Say https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-12-15/nyc-police-and-tech-company-flout-privacy-policy-advocates-say?sref=ndQeXqOs&utm_source=website&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=mobile_web_share  “ShotSpotter not only is error-prone, these microphones are essentially illegal wiretaps,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn.  “By conspiring with the NYPD to map the location of ShotSpotter microphones, the company gives the NYPD a dangerous opportunity to repurpose these systems to listen in on New Yorkers’ conversations. If ShotSpotter is willing to brazenly break ones of its privacy rules, why should we expect it follows any others?” Last month, S.T.O.P and LAS revealed nearly $3 billion in secret NYPD surveillance contracts previously hidden from the public under the Special Expenses program, a controversial secrecy agreement that was terminated in 2020 in response to passage of the Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act. In July, S.T.O.P. released ShotSpotter and the Misfires of Gunshot Detection Technology, a report detailing how ShotSpotter’s error-prone software targets Black and Latinx neighborhoods, increasing the risk of police violence, and leaves levels of gun crime largely unchanged.   SEE: Press Release - S.T.O.P., Legal Aid Society Reveal Nearly $3 Billion In Secret NYPD Surveillance Contracts https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2022/11/14/stop-legal-aid-society-reveal-nearly-3-billion-in-secret-nypd-surveillance-contracts S.T.O.P. Report – ShotSpotter and the Misfires of Gunshot Detection Technology https://www.stopspying.org/shotspotter 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.