FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
S.T.O.P., Civil Rights Groups, & Lawmakers Launch NY Campaign To ‘Ban Big Brother’ Surveillance
(New York, NY, 1/10/2023) – Yesterday, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.) hosted a press conference joined by elected officials, the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), Legal Aid Society, Amnesty International USA, and other civil rights groups at the New York State Capitol to launch “Banning Big Brother: New York’s Surveillance Sanctuary State Blueprint,” a New York State anti-surveillance legislative campaign. The bill package includes first-in-the-nation bans on geofence warrants and fake police social media profiles. Organizers and volunteers also discussed the package with New York State Senate and Assembly offices throughout the day. The launch came shortly after the start of the 2023 New York State legislative session and a day before Governor Hochul’s State of the State address.
SEE: Photos and Video of Press Conference
https://web.tresorit.com/l/U9C87#lC64FnisHCobktZaOLq25w
Spectrum News 1 - Groups urge lawmakers to ban surveillance tools used by law enforcement
https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2023/01/09/groups-urge-lawmakers-to-ban-surveillance-tools-
“At a moment when some of New York’s leaders are excited to play big brother, we’re here fighting for the public safety tools that actually work,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “Surveillance tech is wasting millions, putting New Yorkers in harm's way, and shredding our Constitution. Our leaders have been tricked by tech companies for too long, spending our tax dollars on tech that continues to fail the public. It’s long past time for New York to draw a line, blocking systems that are proven to harm our communities and amplify bias.”
“When the government plays 'Big Brother', communities are often made less safe, not more,” said State Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas. “I’m proud to join the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), Communities United for Police Reform (CPR), Legal Aid Society, and other civil rights groups today for the launch of the 'Banning Big Brother' legislative campaign. I’m also proud to be the Assembly sponsor of one of the bills in this anti-surveillance legislative package that will ban state and local agencies, police departments, and peace officers from using New Yorkers’ biometric data. It’s time we work toward making New York a true surveillance sanctuary state and enact just and equitable policies proven to address public safety head on.”
“Advances in the technology space continue to chart new ground, and we must ensure that we are providing proper privacy and civil rights protections to all residents of our state,” said State Assemblymember Michaelle C. Solages. Without strong privacy protections, law enforcement agencies will continue to engage in indiscriminate, bulk data collection which encroaches on our civil rights.”
“The documented failures and brazen misuse of unreliable surveillance technologies, including facial recognition, geofence warrants, and unregulated municipal DNA indices, do not make New York safer,” said Legal Aid Society Digital Forensics Unit Staff Attorney Diane Akerman. “These digital and DNA dragnets lead to terrifying and life-altering consequences for overpoliced communities – including communities of color and activists - who have long disproportionately shouldered the harmful effects of surveillance.”
“Today, we call on the State legislators to pass these ten bills that ban harmful surveillance tools and firmly secure the privacy rights of all New Yorkers,” said Legal Aid Society DNA Unit Staff Attorney J. David Pollock.
“New York City is using an unlawful and unauthorized DNA index that illegally stores the private genetic information of nearly 33,000 New Yorkers, including children,” said State Senator Brad Holyman. “Many of these New Yorkers have never committed a crime and had their DNA taken under false pretenses in what amounts to genetic stop-and-frisk. This brazen and unlawful violation of New Yorkers’ privacy will end with the passage of our legislation to mandate that there is only one DNA index under law, the New York State’s DNA Databank.”
“Under current law, state and local law enforcement agencies can obtain New Yorkers’ personal information from an agency for any reason without a warrant,” said State Assemblymember Harvey Epstein. “This loophole jeopardizes the vulnerable, such as undocumented immigrants and other New Yorkers who have been traditionally over-surveilled and over-policed. If New Yorkers can’t trust the government to maintain their personal and sensitive information, how can we expect them to apply for benefits, substance use treatment, housing, or other essential services we provide? I’m proud to work with Senator Gonzalez and STOP to modernize the PPPL (Personal Privacy Protection Law) and protect New Yorker’s privacy.”
"The PPPL Modernization Act helps protect New Yorkers' fundamental privacy rights by dramatically reducing the ability of law enforcement agencies to obtain someone's personal information without a warrant,” said State Senator Kristen Gonzalez. “New Yorkers shouldn't have to choose between using government services and safeguarding their privacy. Taken together, this package of bills will protect the rights of all New Yorkers, and I thank the elected officials and partner organizations who made this possible.”
S.T.O.P. worked with lawmakers to introduce…
- Reverse Location and Reverse Keyword Search Prohibition Act (Solages/Myrie)
- Stop Online Police Fake Accounts and Keep Everyone Safe Act (Mamdani/Cleare)
- Unofficial DNA Database Ban (Zinerman/Hoylman)
- New York For All Act (Reyes/Gounardes)
- Modernize the PPPL Act (Epstein/Gonzalez)
- Cell Site Simulator Ban (TBD/TBD)
- OMNY Privacy Act (TBD/Fernandez)
- Biometrics Ban (González-Rojas/Salazar)
- Protect Our Privacy “POP” Act (Police Drone Ban) (Kim/Ramos)
- DNA Phenotyping Ban (TBD/Gianaris)
SEE: Bloomberg Law - New York ‘Surveillance Sanctuary’ Bills, Campaign Unveiled
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/tech-and-telecom-law/new-york-surveillance-sanctuary-bills-campaign-unveiled
amNY - Fighting ‘Big Brother’: Anti-surveillance advocates in New York seek to halt creeping proliferation of cameras and tracking software
https://www.amny.com/politics/anti-surveillance-advocates-new-york-big-brother/
S.T.O.P. Legislative Tracker
https://www.stopspying.org/legislation
S.T.O.P. is a lead advocate for the Reverse Location and Reverse Keyword Search Prohibition Act, which would prevent large-scale location tracking by prohibiting courts from issuing reverse location and reverse keyword search warrants and law enforcement agencies from seeking them.
SEE: S.T.O.P. – Geolocation Tracking Ban
https://www.stopspying.org/location-tracking
S.T.O.P. is also a lead advocate for the enactment of the Stop Online Police Fake Accounts and Keep Everyone Safe Act, which prohibits police from creating fake social media accounts and coercing people to provide social media passwords.
SEE: Press Release - NY Legislators, S.T.O.P. Introduce Bill Banning Fake Police Social Media Accounts
https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2022/6/9/ny-legislators-stop-introduce-bill-banning-fake-police-social-media-accounts
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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