named programs · 3 · from sources
What they call their work
Impact Litigation
Files lawsuits challenging unconstitutional surveillance practices by police and government agencies, including NYPD camera deployments and ICE data collection
Public Advocacy and Media Engagement
Engages in public education, media interviews, and coalition-building to raise awareness about surveillance technology abuses
Surveillance Technology Oversight
Monitors and challenges the use of facial recognition, AI, license plate readers, and other surveillance tools by public and private entities
activities · 4 groups
What they do
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Criminal Justice Policy Advocacy 2 activities
- Advocates for legislative and policy reforms to curb surveillanceLeads advocacy campaigns to advance or oppose legislation related to surveillance technologies, including efforts to ban biometric scanning, cell-site simulators, police use of social media deception, and data sharing between law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.
- Produces research and public education content on surveillance impactsConducts and publishes research on the civil rights, privacy, and racial justice implications of surveillance technologies, including blog posts, op-eds, video series, and educational materials co-developed with academic and advocacy partners.
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Constitutional and Government Accountability Litigation 2 activities
- Files lawsuits to challenge misuse of surveillance technologiesInitiates legal actions to challenge unlawful or abusive uses of surveillance systems by government agencies, particularly those impacting low-income and marginalized communities.
- Provides free legal representation and impact litigation on surveillance abuseOperates a virtual law firm model to deliver free legal services and conduct impact litigation, including public records requests, for individuals and communities harmed by government surveillance, in partnership with major New York law firms.
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Cybersecurity Skills Development 1 activity
- Conducts privacy and digital security trainings for targeted communitiesDelivers educational programming and publishes practical guides on digital privacy and cybersecurity for activists, grassroots organizations, and communities disproportionately affected by surveillance, including toolkits for protesters and organizations.
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Uncategorized 2 activities
- Co-develops educational materials on police digital surveillanceCollaborated on the creation of the “Unfriend the NYPD” booklet to educate BIPOC youth in NYC about digital surveillance risks posed by police monitoring of online platforms and personal data.
- Runs public awareness campaigns on digital surveillance risksDeploys creative public education initiatives, such as the “Think Quick, Don’t Click” campaign with fake QR codes, to raise awareness about digital surveillance risks in public spaces.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$1.60M
Contributions & grants$553K35%
Program service revenue$1.01M63%
Investment income$36K2%
Other revenue$780
expenses
Total expenses$978K
Program expenses86%
Admin / overhead11%
Fundraising3%
Salaries & benefits$786K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$1.32M
Cash$100K
Investments$0
Liabilities$618K
Net assets$701K
Liquid reserves1.2 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +200.7%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALBERT FOX CAHN ESQ | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $116K |
board members · 5
- JENNIFER LEE — DIRECTOR
- LAUREN WU ESQ — DIRECTOR
- NIGAR SHAIKH ESQ — PRESIDENT
- SAMANTHA VAN DORAN — SECRETARY
- SAMI RASHID — DIRECTOR
relationships · 18
Who they work with
- Amazon Partner — Partner in the Ring Neighbors program with the NYPD, targeted for termination by advocacy.
- Brooklyn College’s Policing & Social Justice Project Partner — Co-produced a video series with S.T.O.P. on NYPD data sharing with ICE and its impact on immigrant communities.
- Center for Urban Pedagogy Partner — Collaborated with S.T.O.P. to create the "Unfriend the NYPD" educational booklet for BIPOC youth in NYC.
- Fortune 500 companies Partner — Delivered training sessions to Fortune 500 companies on surveillance issues.
- Immigrant Defense Project Partner — Co-produced a video series with S.T.O.P. on NYPD data sharing with ICE and its impact on immigrant communities.
- LASST Coalition — Part of a broad coalition defending public access to AI training data
- LatinoJustice PRLDEF Partner — Co-produced a video series with S.T.O.P. on NYPD data sharing with ICE and its impact on immigrant communities.
- Legal Defense Fund Coalition — Member of a coalition warning against immigration policies that fail to protect New Yorkers
- NYPD Government — Subject of advocacy efforts regarding surveillance practices and database use.
- NYU Law’s Brennan Center for Justice Partner — Co-produced a video series with S.T.O.P. on NYPD data sharing with ICE and its impact on immigrant communities.
- New York’s largest law firms Partner — Collaborates with S.T.O.P. through a virtual law firm model to provide pro bono legal services and impact litigation.
- New York’s largest law firms Partner — Collaborates with major New York law firms to conduct impact litigation and public records litigation related to surveillance.
- PROTEST_NYC Partner — Co-developed a protest reporting toolkit with S.T.O.P. to help journalists safely cover protests under surveillance conditions.
- Princeton University’s Ida B. Wells Just Data Lab Partner — Co-produced a video series with S.T.O.P. on NYPD data sharing with ICE and its impact on immigrant communities.
- Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, Inc. Network — Organization operating under the S.T.O.P.® trademark with a registered presence in New York, NY.
- YouTube Partner — Hosts educational videos on YouTube channel
- community-based organizations Partner — Partnered with community-based organizations to deliver surveillance-related educational programming.
- leading universities Partner — Partnered with leading universities to deliver surveillance-related educational programming.
strategies · 5
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Advocacy for Incremental and Radical Reform Toward Abolitionmethodology: incremental-and-radical-reformBy pursuing both incremental reforms—such as transparency and accountability measures—and radical systemic change, the organization advances toward the long-term goal of abolishing mass surveillance because immediate reforms reduce harm while building momentum and precedent for transformative change.
- Community-Centered Advocacy and Educationmethodology: community-led-advocacyBy centering the leadership of directly impacted communities and developing tailored curricula that reflect their specific concerns, the organization increases engagement and effectiveness of resistance to surveillance because programs grounded in lived experience and community relevance build trust and empower collective action.
- Public Awareness and Exposure Campaignsmethodology: public-awareness-campaignBy exposing the deployment of surveillance technologies in high-profile public contexts and raising awareness about their implications, the organization shifts public discourse and builds political will for reform because visible, relatable examples of surveillance make abstract threats tangible and motivate public opposition.
- Research-Driven Advocacy and Impact Litigationmethodology: research-driven advocacyBy using rigorous research to expose how surveillance technologies exacerbate civil rights violations, systemic racism, and privacy harms, the organization generates evidence that informs high-impact litigation and legal advocacy, leading to structural reforms and stronger protections for vulnerable populations because data-backed legal challenges are more effective in court and policy arenas.
- Virtual Law Firm Model for Scalable Legal Impactmethodology: virtual_law_firm_modelBy operating a virtual law firm model that leverages pro bono partnerships with major law firms, the organization achieves scalable impact litigation and public records advocacy without the overhead of a traditional legal infrastructure, because distributed legal collaboration enables broader reach and resource efficiency while maintaining high legal capacity.