Home> News>ECBAWM, S.T.O.P. Sue NYPD For ‘Domain Awareness’ Surveillance System Which Illegally Collects Surveillance Data on Every New Yorker
ECBAWM, S.T.O.P. Sue NYPD For ‘Domain Awareness’ Surveillance System Which Illegally Collects Surveillance Data on Every New Yorker
- October 28, 2025
(NEW YORK, NY) – On October 28, 2025, ECBAWM and the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, filed a federal civil rights suit[linking complaint] claiming that the New York City Police Department (NYPD)’s Domain Awareness System (DAS) unconstitutionally tracks New Yorkers. Formed through a public-private partnership with Microsoft, the DAS is an opaque surveillance command center that collects data from tens of thousands of camera feeds, license plate readers, radiological sensors, and other spyware for real-time, warrantless surveillance of New Yorkers across the city.
The lawsuit, which was brought on behalf of Brooklyn residents Pamela Wridt and Robert Sauve whose home is subject to surveillance by two NYPD cameras, claims that the NYPD’s ubiquitous surveillance violates New Yorkers’ First and Fourth Amendment rights. The lawsuit claims that the NYPD is effectively conducting a warrantless search of every New Yorker, including those never accused, let alone convicted, of a crime.
“I feel constantly watched by a state-sanctioned peeping Tom, able to look into our bedroom and living room windows at any time,” said plaintiff Pamela Wridt. “Countless other New Yorkers live this nightmare, with tens of thousands of cameras across our city, particularly in communities of color.”
“Pervasive, AI-super-charged surveillance is a threat to every New Yorker’s privacy,” said ECBAWM Partner O. Andrew F. Wilson. “The NYPD should be required to obtain a warrant before deploying these powerful tools against the public, which have essentially turned every street, stoop, and window into a site of government monitoring. Protecting safety should never come at the expense of our constitutional rights and the basic expectation that our private lives remain private.”
The Plaintiffs are represented by ECBAWM attorneys O. Andrew F. Wilson and Sara Estela, and by S.T.O.P. founder-in-residence Albert Fox Cahn, legal director David Siffert, senior legal fellow Darío Maestro, and legal fellow Anya Weinstock.
To read the Complaint, click here.
Press:
“NYPD Camera Points Directly Into Their Bedroom. They’re suing the City Over it Now.,” The Intercept
“NYC Sued Over ‘Voyeuristic’ Police Surveillance System,” Bloomberg Law
To read the full press release, click here.
