This report was prepared by Eleni Manis, Dario Maestro, Corinne Worthington, Hannah Chong, Shreeya Parekh, and Faith Wilson.
Summary
In this report, S.T.O.P. details how Mayor Mamdani can use the powers of his office to rein in the NYPD’s vast surveillance apparatus and fulfill his campaign promises. The report details the NYPD’s illegal data sharing and abuse of unregulated databases, facial recognition tools, drones, and other surveillance technologies; underscores the risk to undocumented New Yorkers and anyone else in the Trump administration’s crosshairs; and maps the specific steps that Mayor Mamdani can take right now to end NYC’s surveillance overreach.
Key Findings Include:
Mayor Mamdani has publicly rejected the Criminal Group Database (“gang database”), facial recognition, and NYPD’s use of social media spying, and has promised to protect personal data from being co-opted for mass deportation campaigns. However, he has yet to act.
Through the powers vested in his office, NYC Mayor Mamdani can and must:
Proactively block collaboration with ICE;
Stop mass surveillance of jail calls;
Dismantle NYPD’s Criminal Group Database (“gang database”) and its illegal DNA database;
End NYPD use of dragnet warrants;
Ban police use of facial recognition;
Ground police drones and keep robots off our streets;
Sharply limit NYPD spying on social media.
