Introducing our 2025 Annual Report!

Apr 24

Friend,

As surveillance rapidly expanded across our daily lives, from our streets to our phones to our most personal spaces, 2025 made one thing clear: these threats are accelerating alongside alarming attacks on our civil liberties. With your backing, S.T.O.P. met this moment with urgency and impact. We are proud to share what your support made possible in our 2025 Annual Report, highlighting the work we’ve done together to fight back against discriminatory surveillance and defend the rights of all.

Read our 2025 Annual Report here!

Throughout 2025, your commitment powered critical work, including:

Filing a first-of-its-kind federal civil rights lawsuit challenging the NYPD’s Domain Awareness System — an AI-powered surveillance network that tracks millions of New Yorkers without suspicion of wrongdoing
Forcing transparency by submitting 16 public records requests and 25 administrative appeals, and filing multiple lawsuits to compel agencies to release information on secret surveillance programs.
Winning passage of the FOIL Timeline Act through both chambers of the New York State Legislature and securing critical amendments to the POST Act, strengthening oversight and government accountability.
Publishing six major research reports exposing the harms of surveillance–from NYPD drone expansion and centralized surveillance systems to threats against gender-affirming care and the rise of family surveillance apps.
Releasing A People’s Handbook of Surveillance in partnership with researchers from Morgan State University. This illustrated guide offers the public an in-depth overview of how surveillance operates and how it impacts our daily lives.

Publishing more than 15 op-eds and earning coverage in major national and international outlets, helping bring urgent surveillance issues into the public conversation.

Delivering rapid-response analysis and public education on emerging threats, including biometric surveillance, protest monitoring, and the growing consolidation of government data systems.

We are deeply grateful to our staff, board members, interns, volunteers, and pro-bono partners who make this movement possible — and to you, our community, for standing with us in the fight against mass surveillance.

As we look ahead, the need for this work has never been more urgent. With your support, we are continuing to build our Power Down Surveillance campaign–an ongoing effort to open new fronts in the fight against mass surveillance, sustain long-term legal battles, and prevent these systems from becoming further entrenched in our society.

Together, we can continue to build a future where our rights, privacy, and freedoms are protected.