For Immediate Release
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S.T.O.P. Condemns NYPD Plan To Purchase AI-Driven Cellphone Trackers
(NEW YORK, NY, 10/26/2026) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy group, condemns NYPD’s plan to purchase portable, AI-driven cell-site simulators. Also known as stingrays, cell-site simulators mimic cellphone towers and trick nearby devices into connecting, allowing officers to identify all device users in the vicinity and intercept their calls and text messages. According to reporting by the New York Daily News, NYPD is currently in negotiations to sign a three-year $750,500 contract with Israeli spyware firm Cognyte to purchase their FalcoNet stingrays. Cognyte has sparked international controversy over partnerships with authoritarian governments that have deployed their technology against political dissidents. S.T.O.P. renewed its call on lawmakers to pass a full ban on stingrays in New York State.
SEE: The New York Daily News - NYPD in negotiations to use new AI-driven technology that will make it easier to track cell phones
https://www.nydailynews.com/2026/10/24/nypd-in-negotiations-to-use-new-ai-driven-technology-will-make-it-easier-to-track-cell-phones/
Al Jazeera - Israel’s Cognyte won Myanmar spyware tender before coup
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/1/15/israels-cognyte-won-myanmar-spyware-tender-before-coup
“There’s a reason authoritarian regimes love cellphone tracking tech,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Advocacy & Community Engagement Manager Corinne Worthington. “Our cellphones are constantly searching for the nearest tower, even when we aren’t making calls. Stingrays make it all too easy to target protesters and stifle free speech, with the latest versions turbocharged by AI. It’s long past time for Albany to ban stingrays in New York State.”
SEE: WIRED - Feds Got Warrants to Use Fake Cell Towers to Hunt Down Don Lemon’s Producer
https://www.wired.com/story/feds-got-warrants-to-use-fake-cell-towers-to-hunt-down-don-lemons-producer/
S.T.O.P. has long been a lead advocate for passage of S6567/A2461, a New York State bill sponsored by state Senator Jabari Brisport and Assemblymember Robert Carroll prohibiting law enforcement use of cell-site simulators.
SEE: The New York State Senate - Senate Bill S6567
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S6567
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.
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