Governor Cuomo Urges New Yorkers to Avoid Thanksgiving Gatherings and Travel

 

Governor Cuomo: "Your safe zone, it's not a safe zone. Your safe zone is dangerous this year."

Cuomo: "This year, if you love someone, it is smarter and better to stay away. As hard as that is to say and hear, because if I had to predict, you're going to see a significant spike post-Thanksgiving."

 I've worked on this every single day for 260-plus days. The virus is complicated, but the virus is simple. You know what it is going to do. You know what it is going to do. You know what's going to happen at Thanksgiving. People will travel. People will come together. I am telling you- I will wager you that if people are not extraordinarily diligent and act in a way they've never acted before, you're going to see a very large spike. 

The travel is a real problem for us because this state still has the lowest infection, except for Vermont or Maine. If people are coming from Vermont or Maine, they don't pose as much of a risk. If they're coming from anywhere else, they pose a greater risk. It's your family, it's your home, it's your table, these are all environments where you feel safe and that is the beauty of Thanksgiving. I'm at home with my family. I'm in my safe zone. Your safe zone, it's not a safe zone. Your safe zone is dangerous this year. Please- love is sometimes doing what's hard. This year, if you love someone, it is smarter and better to stay away. As hard as that is to say, and hear, because if I had to predict, you're going to see a significant spike post-Thanksgiving. It is then going to run into the Christmas holidays, and you're going to see these numbers go very high. 

New York's triggers are some of the most conservative in the country. Our 3 percent, our 4 percent, that's half of California's, most states are already above our triggers. Okay? The overwhelming majority of states are already above our triggers. But, better safe than sorry. And we went through this once before, and we want to minimize the damage, and that's why I'm comfortable with the low triggers. But please, this is not just rhetoric. I am telling you, Thanksgiving, you look at the infection rate, 5, 6, 7, 8 days after Thanksgiving, it will be up. You'll then be in early December. Early December, I'll meet you for a Christmas drink, let's celebrate Hannukah, let's get together, celebrate end of year, 2020 is ending, it was the worst year in my life, let's get together and have a drink, and you're going to see a further spike. 

From here to January is very dangerous. A vaccine is on the way. Not in any timeframe that is going to make a difference to the immediate future.

MAYOR DE BLASIO AND TASKFORCE ON RACIAL EQUITY AND INCLUSION ANNOUNCE NEW REQUIREMENT TO GIVE M/WBEs AND NON-PROFITS GREATER OWNERSHIP STAKE IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS BUILT ON CITY-OWNED SITES

 

Today, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion & Equity introduced a new equitable ownership requirement to strengthen the role of Minority-and-Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs) and non-profits on affordable housing projects developed on City-owned sites. The new equitable ownership requirement, implemented by the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), will require that an M/WBE or non-profit partner holds a minimum 25 percent ownership stake in any affordable housing project awarded on public land.

 

“COVID-19 has exposed longstanding disparities in our society – including economic injustice at the core of the system. New York City is committed to changing that,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “M/WBEs and nonprofit developers deserve a real stake in developing affordable housing, and I’m proud to stand with them as we rebuild a stronger and fairer city.”

 

“Our City works best and everyone benefits when more people are able to participate in our economy with the support they need, regardless of their gender or ethnicity,” said First Lady Chirlane McCray. “This new directive will help level the playing field for entrepreneurs of color so they can build and grow businesses that strengthen and stabilize our local communities with good-paying jobs, while contributing to the vibrancy of our city.”

 

“Today is about something simple: giving so many more New Yorkers a real stake in our City, and in our recovery from the COVID-19 crisis,” said Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives J. Phillip Thompson. “This new requirement gives our entrepreneurs of color an opportunity to build, maintain, and operate affordable housing in their own communities – for the people they know best, while creating new jobs and economic growth.”

 

"Public land is an invaluable asset that must provide New Yorkers with what they most need: affordable housing and economic opportunities," said Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Vicki Been. "As we deliver on our ambitious affordable housing goals, the Equitable Ownership Requirement gives Minority- and Women-Owned Businesses and non-profits a stake in neighborhood development, ensuring that our city's growth is inclusive."

 

“Businesses of color and mission-driven non-profits are vital employers, service providers, and leaders within our city. Through this new Equitable Ownership Requirement, M/WBE's and non-profits will have a meaningful role and financial stake in reshaping local communities through development. As the City continues to make unprecedented affordable housing investments, this bold new policy will ensure more equitable economic growth and, through diversity, help strengthen the affordable housing industry,” said Sideya Sherman, Executive Director of the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion & Equity and EVP for Community Engagement & Partnerships at NYCHA.

 

As the City advances its ambitious Housing New York plan with additional funding, strengthening and increasing opportunities for M/WBEs and non-profit developers is a key priority. To date, the Administration has made an unprecedented investment of $6.64 billion in capital to finance 166,000 affordable homes. Moving forward, all Requests for Proposals issued by HPD to develop affordable housing will be subject to the new equitable ownership requirement.  Under this new requirement, at least 25 percent of the project’s managing ownership interests must be held by the M/WBE or non-profit development partner, entitling it to at least 25 percent of the total economic benefits of the project, net of any tax credit limited partner interests. 

 

“Under this Administration, we have embraced every opportunity to strengthen our relationships with and increase investments in M/WBEs and non-profit developers that share our deep commitment to the communities we serve,” said Louise Carroll, Commissioner of NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development. “This new requirement gives M/WBEs and non-profits, which usually have deep roots in the communities we serve, a critical ownership stake in the affordable housing work that is essential to our recovery and the creation of a more equitable city.”

 

“This groundbreaking initiative powerfully demonstrates the Mayor’s commitment to increasing opportunities and participation for M/WBEs”, said Jonnel Doris, Commissioner of NYC Department of Small Business Services and Small Business Sub-committee Co-Chair for the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity. “Strengthening the requirement for M/WBE participation in local development builds on the commitment to grow our economy - by ensuring that communities have a financial stake in the growth of their neighborhoods.”

 

The new requirement also aligns with the vision of the City’s Where We Live NYC plan to build more integrated, equitable, and inclusive neighborhoods. Where We Live NYC calls for the City to make investments that address segregation, discrimination, and concentrated poverty. The new requirement will help reduce industry barriers for M/WBEs and non-profits, expand and diversify the city’s construction industry, and allow affordable housing spending to serve a greater diversity of New Yorkers. The new requirement will help to support that plan’s goal to accelerate opportunities for mission-based groups to create and preserve community-owned or shared-equity housing.

 

Ensuring that the development of public land for affordable housing includes meaningful participation from M/WBE and non-profits emerged as a key goal of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Housing Initiative, a community-based planning effort started in 2019. Participants in the initiative emphasized the need for a new policy that recognizes how non-profits and M/WBEs are important partners in ensuring that new investments in affordable housing address local needs. A forthcoming RFP for the development of vacant land in Bed-Stuy will be one of the first projects to incorporate this new requirement.

 

To date, the City has launched a number of programs to strengthen M/WBEs and non-profits in the City’s development activities, including:

• M/WBE Build Up Program: This program aims to increase contracting opportunities for M/WBEs in the City’s development activities. Through the program, projects receiving more than $2 million in HPD or Housing Development Corporation (HDC) funding are required to spend at least 25 percent of those supported costs on M/WBE services. Since launching in 2017, the program has grown to 179 projects and is expected to generate over $839 million in M/WBE spending. There has been over $600 million in spending to date on MWBE contractors and subcontractors, and the program is on pace to exceed the expected spending.
• Since 2014, HPD’s M/WBE Developer Capacity Buildings Series has trained over 90 emerging M/WBE developers and not-for-profits on how to work on City-financed construction and preservation projects.
• M/WBE RFP: In December 2017, HPD announced the winners of its first ever M/WBE dedicated RFP which contained six public sites.  Five of these six projects have now closed, and the sixth is currently going through our financing and ULURP processes This RFP was made possible through state enabling legislation. The second such RFP will be released by spring 2021.
• HPD M/WBE Build Out: This program offers networking and capacity building seminar series for contractors and professional service providers.  Now in its fourth year, there have been several on-going quarterly seminars and four large networking events where development partners have recruited contractors for their projects.

 

NYS Office of the Comptroller DiNapoli: New York Ranks Last In Balance of Payments with Washington

 

 New York leads the nation in what it pays to the federal government compared to what it gets back from Washington, according to a report released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. New York taxpayers paid $23.7 billion more in federal taxes than the state received in federal spending in federal fiscal year 2019.

“In what has become a familiar and troubling story for the Empire State, New Yorkers send significantly more to Washington than we get back,” DiNapoli said. “At a time when the pandemic has shrunk local and state government revenues, shut down businesses and hurt families across New York, it’s never been more critical that we receive much-needed support from the federal government.”

For every tax dollar paid to Washington, the state received $0.91, well below the national average of $1.24. New Jersey is the only state that received less, with a return of $0.82. New Mexico gets the most value at $2.83 per tax dollar paid, followed by Mississippi ($2.50), West Virginia ($2.43), Alabama ($2.17) and Kentucky ($2.05).

New York’s per-capita deficit of $1,216 in its balance of payments ranked 49 among the states. Only New Jersey is higher at $2,450. On the basis of total dollars, rather than dollars per capita, New York’s ranking was last among the states.

The gap between taxes paid and spending received in New York fluctuates from year to year, but has remained consistently negative in analyses of five federal fiscal years by DiNapoli, ranging from $19.9 billion in FFY 2013 up to $40.9 billion in FFY 2016.

As in past years, the imbalance reflects New York’s comparatively high federal tax payments. The state generated over $265 billion, or 8.1 percent, of the $3.3 trillion in federal tax receipts. By contrast, the $241 billion in federal spending the state received represented 5.9 percent of the nationwide total. DiNapoli’s report found:

• New York paid 8.9 percent or nearly $152 billion of the largest federal tax source, the individual income tax.
• The largest of the broad spending categories in the federal budget represents direct payments to or for individuals for a variety of programs such as Social Security, Medicare, benefits for veterans and retired federal employees and food assistance. New York received an estimated $148.1 billion in this category, with a per capita figure that was close to the national average.
• Major programs for which the state received higher-than-average per capita expenditures include Medicare, Medicaid, food assistance and Supplemental Security Income.
• Payments from Washington for federal employee retirement benefits and veterans’ benefits to New Yorkers were lower than average on a per capita basis.
• In the second largest spending category in the federal budget, grants to state and local governments, New York received $73.4 billion and fared better than 48 states on a per capita basis. Medicaid makes up more than half of all federal spending for such grants, and New York’s per capita Medicaid funding from Washington ranked second among the states.
• In two other major categories — procurement and federal employee compensation — federal spending in New York was less than half of the national average on a per capita basis. The state’s combined total in these two areas, $19.9 billion, was 2.4 percent of the nationwide total.

DiNapoli warned that the results of the 2020 Census may affect New York’s and other states’ balance of payments, in both the near and longer terms, as updated population counts influence the state-by-state allocation of funding in certain programs, as well as the size of each state’s Congressional delegation.

Federal funding makes up more than one in every three dollars in New York State’s budget. Stimulus and relief funding that Washington has provided in response to the coronavirus pandemic have been a financial lifeline for well over one million New Yorkers.

DiNapoli said the federal response remains incomplete. The state, its local governments, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and other governmental entities will be forced to cut essential services, raise taxes and fees, and/or push costs to the future by borrowing to close today’s gaps if Washington does not provide additional direct aid.   

Report

New York’s Balance of Payments in the Federal Budget

City Parks Foundation Launches Registration for First Green Girls National Curriculum Training Course

 

Award-Winning NYC Youth STEM Curriculum Now Available Digitally  For Free To Educators Nationwide

 City Parks Foundation has launched registration for the first session of the CityParks Green Girls Empowered by ING National Curriculum Training. This national rollout offers educators digital access to the award-winning Green Girls STEM curriculum, which has been adapted from its local, New York City focus, to have a broader, national emphasis on climate change and environmental stewardship through experiential learning in parks and other open spaces. The curriculum is available for use by formal and informal educators. Training will be required in this pilot year and offered online during the spring and summer of 2021 in two sessions; pre-registration is required. 

Recently awarded the inaugural Climate Change Award by the National Summer Learning Association, the Green Girls program uses experiential learning in parks, forests and waterways to offer New York City adolescent girls after-school and summer programming that focuses on environmental science, encouraging girls to recognize their potential as scientists and stewards of natural resources. With support from ING, the Green Girls national curriculum will be available for use free of charge, as both an after-school and a summer program. The curriculum focuses on climate change, urban water bodies and forests, and strategies for stewarding and advocating for our essential resources. Also integrated are youth development concepts of self and social awareness encouraging young women to build healthy relationships with each other and their mentors.

Applications are open at cityparksfoundation.org/green-girls-training until December 18, 2020. Applicants will be informed of acceptance into the training program no later than January 15, 2021.  The first training session will begin on February 5, 2021. A second session will be held in May 2021.

Educators interested in using the digital curriculum in this pilot year will be required to participate in a two-hour online learning session with City Parks Foundation educators beforehand, as well as a one-on-one consulting session.  Participants will also be asked to conduct and share results from a program assessment at the end of the program year. The training will include suggested lesson plans, tips on establishing partnerships, peer mentorship, and advocacy tools to help educators learn how to run a successful program. 

Nearly 20 years ago, City Parks Foundation created Green Girls to excite young women in 6th-8th grades about STEM learning. The program transforms local public parklands, forests and waterways into learning laboratories, as Green Girls engage in hands-on experiments and community service. Students learn about a variety of potential careers in the sciences - an industry where over 75% of the workforce is male, and the program also facilitates social-emotional learning at this critical time in a young woman’s development, through discussions, team-building activities focused on female empowerment, individual voice, and self-awareness, aiming to foster healthy relationship development between students.

“We are so thrilled to launch this national training program, particularly now, during a challenging time that demands creative ways to teach our next generation of environmental leaders,” said Chrissy Word, Director of Education at City Parks Foundation. “The goal of this curriculum is to help educate young women to become environmental changemakers, as well as to provide educators innovative tools that will result in meaningful science lessons using parks and open spaces for experiential learning  as outdoor classrooms as well as advocacy for and restoration of our natural areas by young women, particularly young women of color.”

“We are very excited to be able to support the Green Girls team in making their award-winning New York program available to educators across the US for the first time,” said Ana Carolina Oliveira, head of sustainable finance, ING Americas. “I’ve had the opportunity to experience the Green Girls program first hand and have seen how it inspires and educates young women to understand our natural environment through an engaging, hands-on curriculum. Opening up this program is an essential step in providing more girls with that opportunity. It is everyone’s responsibility to contribute to the empowerment of the next generation of female leaders and such knowledge will help make impactful change in areas of sustainability and environmental science.”

Committing to providing enriching opportunities for the Green Girls, ING will not only support the program financially, but will offer mentoring workshops and career development insights for program participants. Through one-on-one sessions with ING’s women leaders across the organization, ING aims to show program participants they can turn their passion for science, math, and the environment into a career in the emerging sustainable and green economy.

About City Parks Foundation

At City Parks Foundation, we are dedicated to invigorating and transforming parks into dynamic, vibrant centers of urban life through sports, arts, community building and education programs for all New Yorkers. Our programs -- located in more than 400 parks, recreation centers and public schools across New York City -- reach 310,000 people each year. Our ethos is simple: thriving parks mean thriving communities.

About CityParks Learn

CityParks Learn, our standards-aligned environmental education programs, helps students experience the fun of science, while learning about their relationship to the natural world and the ways in which they can protect our environment. We provide STEM-based environmental science programs for 5,000 elementary, middle, and high school students throughout New York City, through school-day, after school, and summer programming. Also offered are credit-bearing training and paid internships for teenagers as well as teacher training in conducting science lessons using parks as outdoor classrooms.

State Parks Releases Draft Greenway Trails Plan

 

Recommendations help partners and stakeholders expand the state’s greenway trail network

Development and expansion of greenway trails should target underserved communities

 The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) today announced the release of the Draft Statewide Greenways Plan/Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS) for review and public comment. This Statewide Greenway Trails Plan provides a vision, goals and recommendations to guide future planning and development of greenway trails, including expanding greenway trails in underserved communities and improving connections between trails and other transportation modes.

“New York State is leading the nation in creating multi-use recreational trails, most notably through the development of the 750-mile Empire State Trail crossing the state, but also through the construction of many new regional and local trails and key connection projects,” State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid said. “The Draft Statewide Greenway Trails plan creates a framework to build on this success and create new trails where they are needed most. It promotes the existing trail network, advocates for new connections in new areas, and establishes goals and recommendations that will help partners and stakeholders expand the state’s greenway trail network. I encourage all who are interested in expanding our trail network to review and comment on this plan.”

The release of the draft plan is the culmination of a year-long effort to develop a comprehensive document addressing New York’s statewide system of non-motorized multi-use trails (Greenway Trails). The plan also includes a GIS inventory of existing, planned, and proposed greenway trails across the state. The Statewide Greenway Trails Plan identifies seven key goals:

• Prioritize the development and expansion of greenway trails in underserved communities.
• Collect and publish information to aid in the planning, development, and management of greenway trails.
• Expand the Greenway Trails System to reach more New Yorkers in more areas.  
• Provide funding opportunities for the acquisition, planning, development, and maintenance of greenway trails.
• Foster greater collaboration between agency & stakeholder partners to advance greenway trails in New York.
• Promote the Greenway Trails System as a destination for tourism, healthy recreation, and active lifestyles.
• Enhance bicycle and pedestrian transportation options by connecting greenway trails and communities.

The Draft Plan and associated trail inventory is available for review at: https://parks.ny.gov/inside-our-agency/master-plans.aspx  A non-digital copy of the document may be requested by contacting the agency via the email or phone number listed below. Written comments on the Draft Plan/Draft GEIS will be accepted until January 19, 2021. Comments should be submitted to StatewideTrailsPlan@parks.ny.gov or mailed to the contact address below.

State Parks will hold an online public hearing to receive comments on the Draft Plan and Draft GEIS. Public hearing will be held at: 6:00 p.m., Jan. 6, 2021 before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) via electronic webinar.

Instructions on how to “join” the hearing webinar and provide an oral statement are published in the DEC’s electronic Environmental Notice Bulletin (ENB) and posted on OPRHP’s website.  The DEC’s ENB may be accessed at https://www.dec.ny.gov/enb/enb.html. The OPRHP’s webpage for the Statewide Greenway Trails Plan/GEIS may be accessed at: https://parks.ny.gov/inside-our-agency/master-plans.aspx. Persons who wish to receive the instructions by mail or telephone may call DEC at (518) 402-9003. Please provide your first and last name, address, and telephone number and reference the Statewide Greenway Trails Plan public comment hearing.

Interpreter services for hearing impaired persons or persons with limited English proficiency will be provided at no charge upon written request submitted no later than December 23, 2020. The written request must be addressed to Chief ALJ James T. McClymonds, NYS DEC Office of Hearings and Mediation Services, 625 Broadway, 1st Floor, Albany, NY 12233-1550 or emailed to Chief ALJ McClymonds at ohms@dec.ny.gov.

Following the public hearing and public comment period, OPRHP will prepare and post a Final Statewide Greenway Trails Plan/FGEIS incorporating substantive comments.

Statement from Speaker Corey Johnson on Public School Closures

 

“This is a devastating moment for New York City. Through the Council’s oversight, we know that remote learning is failing many of our most vulnerable students, including special education students, those who live in homeless shelters, and those from low-income neighborhoods. We also know that many students do not have the devices they need for remote learning, while others are waiting on Wi-Fi. This was unacceptable in the hybrid learning model and catastrophic now that we are going fully remote. The City needs a detailed plan to keep all students’ learning on track. This should have been done already, but since it hasn’t, they must move quickly to put a plan in place.

“The de Blasio Administration also needs to present the public with a reopening plan. This has been a disaster for parents and caregivers. The least the Administration can do is to be honest about what to expect going forward.”

Pennsylvania Man Sentenced To 25 Years In Prison For His Sexual Enticement Of A Sullivan County Minor And A Pennsylvania Minor

 

 Audrey Strauss, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), announced today that JAMES EARLY was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Karas to 25 years in prison for enticing two different minors to engage in illegal sexual activity.  The sentencing today followed EARLY’s guilty plea on November 13, 2019.

Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said:  “This case underlines the urgent need for law enforcement to continue its efforts to protect children from those who prey on them.  As today’s sentencing underscores, we will continue to use every tool available to law enforcement to prosecute and punish those who sexually exploit children.”

HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh said:  “The sexual exploitation of children is a despicable crime and today’s sentencing sends a strong message that those who victimize the most vulnerable amongst us will be held accountable for their actions. The identification and rescue of child victims of sexual exploitation is one of Homeland Security Investigations top priorities. HSI and our law enforcement partners will continue to vigorously investigate those who prey on children.”           

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in related court proceedings:           

From in or about July 2015 to March 2017, EARLY engaged in sexually explicit communications by text with a female minor (“Victim-1”) in Sullivan County, New York.  In connection with these sexually explicit communications, EARLY persuaded Victim-1 to engage in sexually explicit activity, photograph and video it, and transmit it to him via text.  Victim-1 was 15 when they began their online communications.  Victim-1 sent EARLY numerous sexually explicit photos in direct response to directions she received from EARLY, instructing her exactly what he wanted to see her do.  In addition, on numerous occasions, EARLY sent images of his erect penis to Victim-1 and also images of him masturbating.

From in or about the fall of 2014 to the spring of 2017, EARLY persuaded, induced, and enticed a female minor (“Victim-2”) to engage in illegal sexual activity in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.  EARLY’s sexual abuse of Victim-2 began when Victim-2 was entering 8th grade and was 14 years old. 

In October 2017, a search warrant of EARLY’s residence was executed in connection with the investigation.  Sexually explicit images and videos of Victim-2 were recovered during the search, as well as hundreds of other images of child pornography.

In addition to the prison term, EARLY, 40, of Selinsgrove, Pennyslvania, was sentenced to a lifetime term of supervised release.

Ms. Strauss praised the efforts of Homeland Security Investigations and the New York State Police in this investigation.

Attorney General James Urges Caution to New Yorkers Against Rising Threat of ‘Revenge Porn’ in Time of Coronavirus

 Guidance Will Help New Yorkers Protect Privacy of Intimate Online Conversations 

 New York Attorney General Letitia James today issued an alert to warn New Yorkers about potential invasions of privacy while they are engaged in intimate online or mobile conversations with their partners. As New Yorkers practice social distancing in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health crisis, an increased number of individuals are engaging in intimate conversations with distanced partners with webcams and video chat apps, or are meeting new partners online and dating virtually. Unfortunately, some users have chosen to take screenshots or recordings of their partners without their knowledge or consent and are then threatening disclosure of these intimate images — an act commonly referred to as “revenge porn” — sometimes even forcing partners to comply with certain demands.

Revenge porn was already a widespread problem prior to COVID-19, but recent reports suggest the abuse has increased dramatically as the pandemic has increased the amount of time people spend on social media sites and has led people to use technology more often to communicate. Such reports note that abuses overwhelmingly affect women, who make up 90 percent of revenge porn victims.

“Revenge porn is a vicious form of humiliation and control that disproportionately affects women, and we will continue to fight this cruel form of degradation in New York state,” said Attorney General James. “As New Yorkers continue to social distance during the coronavirus pandemic, we urge all who are sharing intimate and private pictures to follow these tips to protect themselves. We also warn anyone thinking of sharing revenge porn and exploiting their partners to think twice, as we will work with local law enforcement to prosecute all individuals engaging in the illegal act to the fullest extent of the law.”

Since New York, and much of the country, issued stay-at-home orders in March, many dating sites have seen a significant increase in the number of messages sent, and some video chat apps have reported an increase in usage of over 70 percent across platforms. This increase in video chats has come with an increase in intimate images shared as well. While these images may be intended for just a single partner, too often that person may take a screenshot or record the images by using a second device.

Attorney General James released the following tips to help protect New Yorkers from invasions of privacy and minimize the risks of falling victim to revenge porn:

• Do not include identifying details in any intimate image or chat:
  • Exclude your face and any identifying features, such as a unique tattoo or birthmark, in intimate images. Some users can keep their face off-screen in such images, while others can utilize a blurring or cropping feature.
  • Exclude identifiable information in your image’s background, including anything with your name or your employer’s name or logo on it.
  • Exclude identifiable information from your profile, such as your email address or the handles to different social media accounts. Some users even create separate email addresses or social media accounts to use only with dating profiles.
    

• Use dating apps or websites that have safety features. While these features cannot prevent a recipient from recording the screen with a second device, they do offer some protection, including:
  • Providing warnings that notify you if a recipient has taken a screenshot of an image you shared or of your chat history.
  • An “unsend” option for pictures or messages.
  • The ability to delete images or chats from a recipient’s messages.

To discover which apps or websites have these or other safety features, consumers should browse the features list in an app store or on the website of the dating service offering the app. Consumers should note that some of these apps and sites charge separate fees for these safety features. Because features change over time, consumers should continue to review safety features lists for the most up-to-date information.

Last year, the New York state legislature passed and Governor Andrew Cuomo signed S.1719C/A.5981 into law, which created Penal Law § 245.15 that criminalized the publication or dissemination of revenge porn. The law establishes criminal penalties of up to a year in jail and civil damages for abusers, and empowers victims to seek a court order to remove these images online. Attorney General James and the Office of the Attorney General consulted in the creation of this law. New Yorkers who believe they have been a victim of unlawful surveillance or unlawful dissemination of an intimate image can report this crime by calling 911 or contacting a local police station or precinct. 

There are also several service organizations that provide assistance to survivors of violence or who have been threatened by intimate partners. Sanctuary for Families is one of largest service providers in New York providing support to survivors of intimate partner violence. During the COVID-19 crisis, Sanctuary for Families is continuing to offer support to survivors, including assisting survivors in obtaining orders of protection through the virtual family courts. Survivors can access this service, and more, by contacting Sanctuary for Family’s free legal helpline at 212-349-6009, ext. 246.