S.T.O.P. Concerned By $400M NY Prison Surveillance Expansion

Today, S.T.O.P. expressed concern at New York Governor Hochul’s call for $400 million in expanded prison surveillance cameras.

View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Concerned By $400M NY Prison Surveillance Expansion (New York, NY 1/27/2025) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, expressed concern at New York Governor Hochul’s call for $400 million in expanded prison surveillance cameras, particularly $18.4 million for prison guard body cameras. The civil rights group warned that law enforcement-controlled surveillance cameras give officers even more power to surveil those detained and avoid accountability unless footage is held by an outside watchdog. SEE: Syracuse.com - Hochul seeks $400 million to expedite installation of surveillance cameras in all NY prisons https://www.syracuse.com/politics/cny/2025/01/hochul-seeks-400-million-to-expedite-installation-of-surveillance-cameras-in-all-ny-prisons.html “When law-enforcement controls cameras, they control the narrative, transforming these tools meant to keep incarcerated people safe from police violence into tools of mass surveillance,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “If we want to have any hope that these cameras will actually mitigate future violence, we need to know that an independent third-party will have complete control of all the recordings. Otherwise, this is just another way to use police tech to score a PR win and avoid real public accountability.” SEE: Fast Company - POV: NY prisons are in crisis. Body cams won’t help https://www.fastcompany.com/90926365/pov-ny-prisons-are-in-crisis-body-cams-wont-help New York Times - How Bodycams Distort Real Life https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/08/opinion/bodycams-privacy.html In 2023, S.T.O.P. condemned the Adams administration for blocking corrections oversight officials from monitoring CCTV camera footage from Rikers Island. That same year, the civil rights group condemned NYPD’s launch of a pilot program using artificial intelligence to assess police bodycam footage. SEE: Press Release - S.T.O.P. Condemns Rikers Island Camera Crackdown https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2023/1/19/stop-condemns-rikers-island-camera-crackdown Press Release - S.T.O.P. Condemns NYPD AI Bodycam Surveillance https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2023/10/19/stop-condemns-nypd-ai-bodycam-surveillance 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-- 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.