Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, Inc.

-against-

NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT

Status: Filed

Key issues: Police Practices, Open Records, Facial Recognition, Privacy

Court: Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County

Docket:

Counsel: S.T.O.P. / Shearman & Sterling, LLP

S.T.O.P. and our co-counsel are pursuing litigation under New York’s Freedom of Information Law (“FOIL") to compel the NYPD to produce documents requested about their use of facial recognition surveillance in the Times Square

S.T.O.P. originally requested the NYPD records on October 8th, 2019, in response to a tip that the NYPD was using previously-undisclosed biometric surveillance in and around Times Square. Despite previously providing information on other facial recognition surveillance programs, the NYPD refused to provide any records to S.T.O.P. Shearman & Sterling is working with S.T.O.P. on a pro bono basis.

The NYPD denied S.T.O.P.’s FOIL request, stating that the term “facial recognition” was too ambiguous to allow a response. When S.T.O.P. filed an administrative appeal, it was denied in less than a day S.T.O.P. and our co-counsel filed our petition in New York State Supreme Court on July 18th, 2020. Litigation is ongoing