Government
About Handschu: 80s Case Still (Sort Of) Governs Surveillance
Jarrett Murphy |
The NYPD moved in 2002 to loosen the rules on police spying, saying that they tied the department’s hands in the fight against terrorism.
Whether they are engaging in protest activity, worshiping at a mosque or merely walking down the street, New Yorkers are subjected to an unprecedented level of surveillance. Does the real threat of crime and terrorism justify the intrusion?
The NYPD moved in 2002 to loosen the rules on police spying, saying that they tied the department’s hands in the fight against terrorism.
A 2005 survey found that keystroke monitoring was used by 36 percent of companies queried. Fifty-five percent of companies perused employee e-mail messages and 76 percent tracked websites visited by employees.
A 1998 New York Civil Liberties Union survey identified 2,397 surveillance cameras at street level in Manhattan. In 2005, another NYCLU survey of Lower Manhattan, Greenwich Village, Chinatown and central Harlem found 4,468 cameras in those four districts alone.