NYPD Scraps Direct Deal for Israeli Surveillance Tech Amid Rights Concerns

Translated & summarized from Hamal by baba

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The New York Police Department has canceled a direct contract with Israeli firm Cognyte for a mobile phone surveillance system following protests from civil rights groups. The department will now seek bids from multiple suppliers, though Cognyte can still compete. Critics raised concerns about privacy and the company's past human rights allegations, while the NYPD stated the technology is for locating suspects and requires warrants.

The story in 6 lines · by baba

NYPD canceled a direct contract with Israeli firm Cognyte for a phone surveillance system.
Civil rights groups and politicians protested the deal, citing privacy and human rights concerns.
Cognyte's FalcoNet system simulates cell towers to track mobile devices.
The contract was valued at up to $750,000 over three years.
The NYPD will now use a competitive bidding process for the system.
Cognyte has faced scrutiny over its technology sales to foreign regimes.

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

The New York Police Department (NYPD) has withdrawn from a planned no-bid contract with Israeli defense technology firm Cognyte for a sophisticated mobile phone tracking and identification system. The decision followed protests from civil rights groups and progressive politicians who raised concerns about potential privacy violations and the company's alleged ties to surveillance technologies used against dissidents.

A spokesperson for the NYPD confirmed that the proposed direct contract did not meet the requirements for a sole-source procurement, and the department will now pursue a competitive bidding process. Cognyte remains eligible to bid on the contract alongside other suppliers.

The deal, intended to last three years and valued at up to $750,000, 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 sole provider of the necessary products and services.

Cognyte, headquartered in Herzliya, specializes in intelligence and investigative analytics solutions for law enforcement and intelligence agencies worldwide. The FalcoNet system operates by simulating a cellular base station to detect and locate nearby mobile devices. It can be deployed in vehicles, on drones, or carried in a backpack.

Opponents, including the New York Civil Liberties Union and members of the City Council, argued that the technology could be used to surveil innocent citizens and expand police surveillance capabilities. The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.) warned that such technology could be used to monitor protesters and infringe on free speech.

Concerns about Cognyte's past dealings include the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund's 2022 decision to divest from the company due to the risk of its technologies contributing to human rights violations. The NYPD maintains that its use of similar systems is for locating suspects, missing persons, and those in danger, typically requiring a warrant, and that these systems do not collect call or text content.