NYPD Scraps Direct Deal for Israeli Surveillance Tech Amid Privacy Concerns

By יואב איתיאל

Translated & summarized from Walla by baba

CenterNeutral tone

Hebrew · 11 newsrooms covering

The New York Police Department has canceled a no-bid contract with Israeli firm Cognyte for its FalcoNet surveillance technology following protests from civil rights groups and politicians. The groups cited privacy concerns and the company's history of supplying surveillance tech to regimes accused of human rights abuses. The NYPD will now seek bids competitively, though Cognyte can still participate. The contract was valued at up to $750,000 for a three-year period.

The story in 5 lines · by baba

NYPD canceled a $750,000 no-bid contract with Israeli firm Cognyte for surveillance tech.
Civil rights groups and politicians protested, citing privacy and human rights concerns.
Cognyte's FalcoNet system can locate cell phones by mimicking a cellular base station.
The NYPD will now use a competitive bidding process for the technology.
Cognyte has faced scrutiny over its past sales of surveillance technology to foreign governments.

NYPD Scraps Direct Deal for Israeli Surveillance Tech Amid Privacy Concerns — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) has withdrawn from a no-bid contract with Israeli defense technology firm Cognyte for an advanced cell phone location and identification system. The decision followed protests from civil rights organizations and progressive politicians who raised alarms about potential resident privacy violations and concerns over the company's past associations with surveillance technologies used against dissidents.

According to the New York Daily News, an NYPD spokesperson confirmed the planned procurement did not meet the requirements for a sole-source purchase, and the department will now proceed with a competitive bidding process. This does not disqualify Cognyte, which can still bid for the contract alongside other suppliers.

The three-year contract was valued at up to $750,000 and involved Cognyte's FalcoNet system, along with associated equipment, software, training, and technical support for the NYPD's Technology and Response Assistance Unit. The NYPD had initially justified the no-bid process by stating that Cognyte was the exclusive provider of the necessary products and services.

Cognyte, headquartered in Herzliya, specializes in intelligence and investigative analytics solutions for law enforcement and intelligence agencies globally. The FalcoNet system, designed to mimic a cellular base station, can detect and locate nearby mobile devices by analyzing cellular signals. It can be vehicle-mounted, fitted onto drones, or operated as a portable backpack system.

Opponents, including New York City Council Member Zohran Mamdani and the New York-based Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), argued that the technology could be used to surveil non-suspect citizens and expand police surveillance capabilities, potentially infringing on freedom of expression, especially during protests. S.T.O.P.'s Corinne Worthington warned that such technologies could be used to monitor demonstrators.

Concerns are also linked to Cognyte's history of selling surveillance technology to foreign regimes. In December 2022, Norway's sovereign wealth fund excluded Cognyte from its investment portfolio due to the unacceptable risk of the company contributing to severe human rights violations. The NYPD maintains that its cellular base station simulation systems are investigative tools used to locate suspects, missing persons, and those in danger, typically requiring a warrant for criminal investigations, with exceptions under law and policy. The department states these systems are not intended for collecting call content or text messages. It remains uncertain if the NYPD will ultimately purchase the FalcoNet system, but the procurement process will now be competitive.