Updated June 18th, 2020
POST Act
Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act
Status: Passed (6/18/2020), Signed (7/7/2020)
Key issues: First Amendment, NYPD, Privacy, Surveillance, Police Practices.
Jurisdiction: New York City Council
Bill Number: Int 0487-2018
Bill Sponsor: Vanessa L. Gibson
Impact & Use Policy Amendment
Status: Introduced (9/28/2023)
Bill Number: Int 1207-2023
Bill Sponsor: Julie Won; Christopher Marte
Department of Investigation (DOI) Reporting Amendment
Status: Introduced (9/28/2023)
Bill Number: Int 1193-2023
Bill Sponsor: Amanda Farías; Jennifer Gutiérrez
This following is intended to provide policy-makers, journalists, and the public resources on the POST Act and Intros 1207-2023 & 1193-2023.
For years, the NYPD has built up an arsenal of cutting-edge, military-grade spy tools without any public notice, debate, or oversight. The Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act was passed in 2020 to bring much-needed civilian review to NYPD surveillance policies, like the NYPD’s Special Expenses Program: a nearly $3 billion trove of secret surveillance contracts made between 2007 and 2019. Existing contracts include New York’s Domain Awareness System: a real-time surveillance map of New York City, procured from Microsoft by the NYPD for over $1 billion.
The POST Act also mandates that the NYPD provide use and impact policies on these surveillance tools, explaining how they are used and how they affect New Yorkers. These insights became particularly important to civil rights groups in 2020, as the NYPD unleashed a fleet of surveillance tools onto New Yorkers taking part in Black Lives Matter protests.
The POST Act was an essential first step in gaining greater transparency over the state of surveillance in New York City, but the NYPD has blatantly disregarded the requirements it imposes.
The law does not set a high bar: NYPD is only required to disclose its surveillance tools and data-sharing policies. Still, the NYPD has failed to clear even the low bar set by the POST Act. According to a report published by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in November 2022, NYPD failed to comply with the law’s reporting requirements with the draft “impact and use” policies published for public comment in January 2021, which consisted largely of boilerplate language not specific to each individual technology. That same report also revealed that NYPD then failed to respond to the public’s requests for more information when it published its revised policies in April 2021.
As a result of NYPD’s blatant non-compliance, S.T.O.P., other civil rights groups, and several New York lawmakers are calling for the adoption of two bills, Intros 1207 and 1193. These measures would improve the effectiveness of the POST Act, implementing 9 of the OIG’s recommendations for NYPD compliance and comprehensive reporting practices.
Take Action:
Media
Join us in the fight to hold NYPD accountable to the POST Act and ask for additional reporting and compliance requirements.
Please see our toolkit for contacting New York City Council Members and sharing the action with friends and family on social media.
Press Release: S.T.O.P. Welcomes OIG Report On NYPD Violations of Surveillance Transparency Law
Public Testimony of Albert Fox Cahn on the POST Act Before the NYC Mayor (Find transcript here)
Roll Call - NYPD may soon have to divulge surveillance technologies
CNBC - NYC lawmakers pass bill requiring police to disclose surveillance technology
Electronic Frontier Foundation - Victory! New York’s City Council Passes the POST Act
New York Times - Council Forces N.Y.P.D. to Disclose Use of Drones and Other Spy Tech
Queens Daily Eagles - Council will vote on bill forcing NYPD to explain surveillance strategies
Venture Beat - NYC passes POST Act, requiring police department to reveal surveillance technologies
ABC7 New York - NYPD surveillance transparency bill expected to pass New York City Council
Engadget - NY City Council passes NYPD surveillance oversight bill
City and State - NYC to force NYPD to reveal its secret surveillance tech
NY Daily News - NYC Council passes ground-breaking police reform bills with veto-proof majority
Politico - NYC to Publish Police Disciplinary Records Online
New York Public Radio - Defunding the Police Could Lead to More Surveillance
JD Supra - New York City Council Enters the Anti-Surveillance Fray
Spectrum News NY1 - De Blasio Backs City Council Bill To Uncover NYPD Surveillance Technology
Bedford + Bowery - City Council Committee Passes POST Act, Bringing Oversight to NYPD Surveillance
Electronic Frontier Foundation - The Winds Are Shifting on NYPD Transparency
Reuters - New York City oversight bill to force police to detail surveillance tools
Fast Company - The long, ugly history of how police have tracked protesters
New York Daily News - What’s the real NYPD Budget? Nobody knows
Gotham Gazette: Surveillance and the City: Past Time for the POST Act
Amsterdam News: Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act
City & State: Police surveillance technology bill still stalled in Council
Crains NY: Facial-recognition technology requires smart legislation
The Intercept: The NYPD Kept An Illegal Database of Juvenile Fingerprints For Years
City & State: Facial recognition controversy spurs push for stalled NYPD transparency bill
El Diario: Tras fuerte presión el NYPD destruye base de datos ilegal con huellas de jóvenes
Brooklyn Daily Eagle: NYPD intelligence chief pushes back on surveillance oversight during panel
City Limits: NYPD Anti-Terror Boss Says Domestic Threats Require New Legal Tools
Gotham Gazette: NYPD Counterterrorism Chief on Threats, Privacy & Transparency
New York Times: San Francisco Banned Facial Recognition. New York Isn’t Even Close.
Daily Beast: Facial Recognition Bans: Coming Soon to a City Near You
NY Daily News Bashing Big Brother: NY City Council tries to rein in facial recognition tech
City & State: Facial recognition controversy spurs push for stalled NYPD transparency bill
Kings County Politics: Op-Ed: Pass the POST Act, Post Haste.
Gotham Gazette: City Leaders Say They Stand with Muslims & Immigrants, But Do They Mean it?
Just Security: Carpenter Ruling Brings Us Back From Brink of Orwellian Surveillance State.
NY Times: When It Comes to Surveillance, Watch the Watchmen.
Legislative Materials
S.T.O.P. POST Act Comment to NYPD in Response to NYPD Draft Facial Recognition Impact & Use Policy
Sign-on letter from 42 organizations demanding passage of the POST Act in response to COVID-19
Sign-on letter from 70 organizations supporting the POST Act
Black, Latino/a and Asian Caucus Endorses'POST Act' NYPD Surveillance Oversight Bill
Other Resources
S.T.O.P. Report - Above The Law? NYPD Violations of the Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act
Office of the Inspector General - An Assessment of NYPD’s Response to the POST Act
Draft Policies and Comments
Technology | NYPD Policy | STOP Comment |
---|---|---|
Audio-Only Recording Devices, Covert | Comment PDF | |
Audio-Only Recording Devices, Overt | Comment PDF | |
Audiovisual Recording Devices, Covert | Comment PDF | |
Audiovisual Recording Devices, Overt | Comment PDF | |
Body-Worn Cameras | Comment PDF | |
Communication Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) Collection System | Comment PDF | |
Case Management Systems | Comment PDF | |
Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) Systems | Comment PDF | |
Cell-Site Simulators | Comment PDF | |
Criminal Group Database | Comment PDF | |
Cryptocurrency Analysis Tools | Comment PDF | |
Domain Awareness System (DAS) | Comment PDF | |
Data Analysis Tools | Comment PDF | |
Digital Cameras | Comment PDF | |
Digital Fingerprint Scanning Devices | Comment PDF | |
Digital Forensic Access Tools | Comment PDF | |
Drone Detection Systems | Comment PDF | |
Electronic Record Management Systems | Comment PDF | |
Facial Recognition | Comment PDF | |
Global Positioning System (GPS) Tracking Devices | Comment PDF | |
Internet Attribution Management Infrastructure | Comment PDF | |
Iris Recognition | Comment PDF | |
License Plate Readers (LPR) | Comment PDF | |
Manned Aircraft Systems | Comment PDF | |
Mobile X-Ray Technology | Comment PDF | |
Media Aggregation Services | Comment PDF | |
Portable Electronic Devices (PEDs) | Comment PDF | |
ShotSpotter | Comment PDF | |
Social Network Analysis Tools | Comment PDF | |
Situational Awareness Cameras | Comment PDF | |
Thermographic Cameras | Comment PDF | |
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) | Comment PDF | |
Vehicle-Mounted Cameras | Comment PDF | |
Video-Only Recording Devices, Covert | Comment PDF | |
Video-Only Recording Devices, Overt | Comment PDF | |
WiFi Geolocation Devices | Comment PDF |
The NYPD’s 5 Biggest POST Act Lies
The NYPD claims that their facial recognition system doesn’t use artificial intelligence, machine learning, or other biometric technology. This is false. Facial recognition is a form of artificial intelligence.
The NYPD claims that their Criminal Group Database, it’s so-called “gang database” has no disparate impact on the basis of race. In fact, 99% of those included are New Yorkers of color.
The NYPD claims that race, religion, and other protected characteristics are never factors in approving surveillance. This is a lie. A report from the Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD found that 95% of NYPD intelligence investigations targeted Muslim New Yorkers.
The NYPD claims that data from their fingerprint scanning devices is not used for immigration enforcement. This again is a lie. NYPD fingerprint results are shared with state and federal law enforcement, including ICE.
The NYPD claims that none of their systems are used for immigration enforcement. In fact, the NYPD shares information with the federal government through intelligence fusion centers and the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Policy | System Has Documented Racial Bias | Information From System Is Shared With ICE | System Uses AI | Policy Has Technical Errors | Disclose name(s) of vendor(s) | Provides Previously Undisclosed Information | Policy Provides Training Info | Policy Provides Retention Periods | Policy Names 3rd Party Recipients | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Audio-Only Recording Devices, Covert | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | |
Audio-Only Recording Devices, Overt | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | |
Audiovisual Recording Devices, Covert | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | |
Audiovisual Recording Devices, Overt | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
Body-Worn Cameras | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | |
Communication Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) Collection System | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | |
Case Management Systems | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | |
Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) Systems | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
Cell-Site Simulators | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
Criminal Group Database | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | |
Cryptocurrency Analysis Tools | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | |
Domain Awareness System (DAS) | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
Data Analysis Tools | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
Digital Cameras | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
Digital Fingerprint Scanning Devices | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
Digital Forensic Access Tools | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
Drone Detection Systems | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
Electronic Record Management Systems | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
Facial Recognition | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | |
Global Positioning System (GPS) Tracking Devices | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
Internet Attribution Management Infrastructure | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | |
Iris Recognition | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
License Plate Readers (LPR) | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | |
Manned Aircraft Systems | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | |
Mobile X-Ray Technology | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
Media Aggregation Services | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
Portable Electronic Devices (PEDs) | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | |
ShotSpotter | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
Social Network Analysis Tools | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
Situational Awareness Cameras | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | |
Thermographic Cameras | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | |
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | |
Vehicle-Mounted Cameras | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | |
Video-Only Recording Devices, Covert | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
Video-Only Recording Devices, Overt | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
WiFi Geolocation Devices | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |