S.T.O.P. Condemns NYPD Plan To “Push The Envelope” On Surveillance, Welcomes City Council Scrutiny

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For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Condemns NYPD Plan To “Push The Envelope” On Surveillance, Welcomes City Council Scrutiny (New York, NY 3/20/24) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, condemns NYPD’s plan for “pushing the envelope” on surveillance technology and welcomes New York City Council members’ scrutiny of such spending. The remarks came at a budget hearing of the New York City Council Committee on Public Safety, where Department representatives defended surveillance technology like drones and the Domain Awareness System, the opaque surveillance system that collects tens of thousands of camera feeds and other databases from around the city. City Council members questioned the cost of these programs, including $3 million annual contracts with Voyager Labs. The group noted that NYPD technology already routinely breaks privacy and civil rights laws. SEE: New York City Council livestream – Fiscal Year 2025 Preliminary Budget Hearing: Committee on Public Safety https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/Webcasts/Default.aspx?From=InSite&LocationID=1 Statement of Corinne Worthington, S.T.O.P. Research and Advocacy Manager, Before the Committee Public Safety https://www.stopspying.org/testimony-1/2024/3/20/statement-of-corinne-worthington-before-the-committee-on-surveillance-technology-spending-in-the-preliminary-budget-for-fiscal-year-2025 “When the NYPD says they push the envelope, they really break the law,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “Rather than addressing the department’s systematic failure to comply with privacy, transparency, and civil rights laws with existing surveillance, the Adams Administration is just doubling down to give us more of the same. At a time when the city and state are facing fierce budget pressures, the last thing we need is to waste even more money on terrible tech. These theatrics have nothing to do with crime, and are only about PR.” In September, S.T.O.P. revealed NYPD’s contract with Voyager Labs via a FOIL request. The AI-based data surveillance firm supplies the agency with software that performs rapid analysis of large digital files obtained through social media providers. In 2022, S.T.O.P. condemned the NYPD’s purchase of nearly $3 billion in secret surveillance equipment that had previously been hidden from the public. The expanded set of contracts, more than $2.5 billion than previously reported, include more than $400 million spent in recent years on the Domain Awareness System. SEE: The Guardian – NYPD spent millions to contract with firm banned by Meta for fake profiles https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/08/new-york-police-tracking-voyager-labs-meta-contract?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other 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 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.