STOP

What STOP does

S.T.O.P. (Surveillance Technology Oversight Project) is a New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2019 that pursues a four-pillar strategy of litigation, legislation, education, and advocacy against discriminatory government and corporate surveillance. Through a virtual law firm model, STOP pairs its small core staff with major New York civil-rights firms (notably Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP) to deliver free impact litigation and direct legal services to individuals targeted by surveillance abuse. STOP's legislative advocacy has helped shape the original 2020 POST Act and its 2026 amendments, the nation's first proposed geofence-warrant ban, and campaigns such as Ban The Scan and the Geolocation Tracking Ban, while its research arm has produced widely cited reports on NYPD, ICE, MTA, automotive, and healthcare surveillance.

The organization's go-to-market is a coalition-led, community-oriented motion rather than a commercial sales motion. There is no product or pricing: services are delivered at no cost to clients, and operating funds come from tax-deductible individual donations and foundation grants (the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is named as a supporter of the "Roadblock to Care" report). Distribution runs through press, op-eds, newsletters, social media, rallies, Know Your Rights trainings, and coalition partnerships (NY4All with the New York Immigration Coalition, joint work with NYCLU and Legal Aid Society, and academic collaborations such as the Morgan State University "People's Handbook of NYC Surveillance").

STOP does not develop proprietary technology; its "product" surface consists of legal services, legislative campaigns, educational toolkits (including a "Securer Devices and Communication Guide"), and research publications. The organization is led by Executive Director Michelle Dahl and a team of approximately 1-10 staff plus seasonal intern cohorts, operating from 1350 Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan with a secondary mailing address at 40 Rector Street, and is registered as a New York nonprofit corporation (Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, Inc.). Founder Albert Fox Cahn previously served as executive director during the organization's founding years.

Name

STOP

Legal name

Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, Inc.

Website

https://stopspying.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

STOP (Surveillance Technology Oversight Project) is a New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2019 that provides free legal services, legislative advocacy, public education, and research to challenge discriminatory government and corporate surveillance of immigrant communities and communities of color.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Rights Advocacy and Legal Aid

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Rights, Privacy & Free Expression Advocacy (BPAGAFAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA)

Keywords

• Civil rights advocacy
• Surveillance oversight
• Pro bono legal aid
• Privacy protection
• Legislative advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: The organization operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit relying on tax-deductible donations from individuals and grants from foundations. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is mentioned as a supporter of their Roadblock to Care report.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

STOP (Surveillance Technology Oversight Project) is a New York-based non-profit advocacy organization that runs a virtual law firm providing free legal services to individuals targeted by discriminatory surveillance, while conducting legislative advocacy, policy research, and privacy education to advance civil liberties protections.

Product overview

STOP (Surveillance Technology Oversight Project) is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider, not a commercial technology product company. The organization offers a portfolio of services including a virtual law firm providing free legal representation, legislative advocacy campaigns, privacy education and training programs, and research publications—all focused on ending discriminatory surveillance and protecting civil rights.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Virtual Law Firm Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully advocated for NYC Council passage of POST Act amendments (Introductions 480 and 168) closing surveillance transparency loopholes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Morgan State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTOP partnered with Morgan State University to release the 'People's Handbook of NYC Surveillance,' a comprehensive community resource on surveillance technologies.
• Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP (ECBAWM)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerECBAWM, a leading civil rights law firm, partnered with STOP to file a federal civil rights lawsuit challenging NYPD's Domain Awareness System as unconstitutional.
• New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTOP is a coalition partner in the NY4All campaign, led by NYIC, pushing for reforms to protect due process and limit ICE access to local resources.
• Coalition Partners (32 Civil Rights Organizations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTOP joined 31 other civil rights groups in submitting a memo of support demanding NYC Council pass bills banning facial recognition in residential buildings and public accommodations.
• NYCLU (New York Civil Liberties Union)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTOP works with NYCLU on surveillance transparency advocacy, including joint legislative memo on prohibiting reverse location and reverse keyword searches.
• Legal Aid SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in transparency advocacy coalition calling for strengthening New York's Freedom of Information Law during Sunshine Week.
• IPVMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTOP partnered with IPVM (Internet Protocol Video Market) to conduct joint research on Evolv weapon detectors, publishing the report 'Stand By Me: NYC Venues Stick With Evolv Despite Failures.'

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Mijente: Latinx and immigrant-centered digital rights and surveillance reform organization. Shares STOP's focus on how surveillance disproportionately impacts communities of color and immigrants.
• Fight for the Future: Digital rights advocacy organization running campaigns on facial recognition bans, net neutrality, and surveillance reform. Comparable to STOP in campaign-driven digital rights advocacy, though more web-activism focused than litigation-focused.
• Muslim Advocates: National civil rights organization advocating for Muslim Americans against discriminatory surveillance and profiling. Directly comparable in serving the same disproportionately-impacted communities STOP prioritizes.

Regional players

• Privacy International: UK-based charity investigating and challenging government surveillance. Comparable to STOP in mission and advocacy approach, but operating across different jurisdictions and regulatory environments.

Direct peers

• Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT): Nonprofit that advocates for digital rights and surveillance reform through policy engagement, litigation, and research. CDT is highly comparable to STOP in combining policy advocacy with technical expertise on emerging surveillance technologies.
• Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): National nonprofit focused on digital rights, privacy, and surveillance litigation. EFF is the most direct national peer to STOP, sharing a virtual law firm-style impact litigation model and digital civil liberties focus.
• Brennan Center for Justice: NYU-affiliated nonpartisan law and policy institute focused on surveillance, criminal justice, and democracy reform. Brennan Center engages in impact litigation and research on surveillance technology directly overlapping STOP's portfolio.
• New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU): The New York state affiliate of the ACLU. NYCLU is STOP's closest operating peer, working on overlapping surveillance transparency legislation and civil rights litigation in the same NYC/NYS jurisdiction.

Others

• New America: Think tank with an Open Technology Institute that conducts research and policy work on surveillance, privacy, and security. Adjacent peer producing comparable research outputs and policy commentary, but not a litigation-focused advocacy organization.

Broad incumbents

• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): The largest U.S. civil liberties organization with national surveillance and privacy advocacy programs. ACLU is a broad incumbent operating in STOP's space but at far greater scale and with a wider civil rights portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC4r_pqhUWTICyd8EIlE2U2Q
• Xx.com/stopspyingny
• Facebookfacebook.com/STOPSpyingNY
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stop-spying

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about STOP