The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP) is a left-of-center privacy-focused activist and legal organization dedicated to technological privacy issues in New York state. It is especially concerned with facial recognition and biometric data technology use by both governments and corporations. It has a legal arm that is engaged in several lawsuits focused on these issues and its literature has a special emphasis on ethnic and sexual minorities and the effects or potential effects of surveillance technologies on these groups. ^{1 2 3}

Founding and History

The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project was founded in 2019 by Albert Fox Cahn to focus on technological privacy issues in New York State with a special emphasis on ethnic and sexual minorities. ^{1 4}

Financials

In 2022, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project reported $437,146 in revenue, of which $435,318 was derived from grants and contributions. It reported $773,275 in expenses, of which $635,446 was spent on salaries and compensation. It ended the year with a deficit of $336,129 and net assets of $375,504. ⁵

The MacArthur Foundation is one of STOP’s largest donors, having provided $95,000 across three grants from 2021 to 2023. ⁶ The Ms. Foundation for Women has also provided funding to STOP. ⁷

Organization Philosophy

The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is focused on reducing technological surveillance by local and state level governments, with a special emphasis on Muslim Americans, immigrants, LGBT people, Indigenous people, and Black people. ¹

STOP is focused specifically on New York state, with a goal to serve as a model for the rest of the country .²

Policies and Projects

Legislative Initiatives

The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project participates in legislative advocacy campaigns in New York state focused on surveillance issues. These include campaigns to outlaw the government’s use of facial recognition, a geolocation tracking ban, a prohibition on police and government agents from creating fake social media accounts, and more public oversight on police spying and monitoring tools and practices. ³

Abortion

STOP supports liberal abortion access group and is concerned that technology will be used to surveil pregnant women and either prevent access to abortions or prosecute people who access them. ⁸

Litigation

STOP has filed or is assisting in various lawsuits regarding privacy and surveillance issues against both governments and corporations. Notable cases include a suit filed on behalf of Amnesty International against the New York Police Department to access records regarding its use of facial recognition surveillance on protestors in 2020, the use of mobile device forensic tools, facial recognition software, biometric data usage and tracking, and the practice of New York City requiring the removal of religious headdress when being processed by the police. ^{9 10 11 12 13}

In addition to governments, STOP is also suing Thomson Reuters, Amazon, Starbucks, and the Metropolitan Transit Authority on matters related to facial recognition and biometric data use and collection. ^{14 15 16 17}

Leadership

Albert Fox Cahn is the founder and executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project. He is a frequent public commentator on privacy issues and the governance of technology. He previously worked as a lawyer advising large companies on privacy and technological issues. He is affiliated with the New York Immigration Coalition’s Immigrant Leaders Council. ⁴

1. “Our Vision.” Stopspying.org. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.stopspying.org/our-vision.
2. “What We Want.” Stopspying.org. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.stopspying.org/plans.
3. “Campaign Overview.” Stopspying.org. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.stopspying.org/our-campaigns.
4. “S.T.O.P. – Albert Fox Cahn Biography.” Stopspying.org, April 5, 2023. https://www.stopspying.org/albert-cahn-bio.
5. Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, Return of an organization exempt from taxation (Form 990) Part I, 2022.
6. “Surveillance Technology Oversight Project.” MacFound.org. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.macfound.org/grantee/surveillance-technology-oversight-project-10115394/.
7. “Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.).” ForWomen.org. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://forwomen.org/grantee-profile/surveillance-technology-oversight-project-s-t-o-p/.
8.  “Abortion Surveillance Post-Roe.” Stopspying.org. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.stopspying.org/abortion-surveillance.
9. “Amnesty International BLM Protest Surveillance Lawsuit.” Stopspying.org. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.stopspying.org/ai-protest-surveillance-lawsuit.
10. “NYPD Cell Phone Searches.” Stopspying.org. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.stopspying.org/nypd-cell-phone-searches.
11. “NYPD Facial Recognition Bias Lawsuit.” Stopspying.org. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.stopspying.org/nypd-facial-rec-bias.
12. “NYPD Facial Recognition Lawsuit.” Stopspying.org. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.stopspying.org/nypd-facial-rec.
13. “Clark v. NYC.” Stopspying.org. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.stopspying.org/hijab.
14. “Thomson Reuters CLEAR Lawsuit.” Stopspying.org. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.stopspying.org/clear.
15. “Amazon Biometric Surveillance Class Action Lawsuit.” Stopspying.org. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.stopspying.org/amazon-biometric-lawsuit.
16. “Starbucks Biometric Surveillance Class Action Lawsuit.” Stopspying.org. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.stopspying.org/starbucks-biometric-surveillance-class-action.
17. “MTA Facial Recognition Lawsuit.” Stopspying.org. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.stopspying.org/mta-facial-recognition.