It’s been illegal in NY for years.
Same here in California, illegal for years. My wife got a ticket for it once, we have a plastic cover over the plate on her car. Paid the ticket, got it cleared, then I put the cover back on. I'm sure lots of folks do this. I got a ticket for something 400 miles away in L.A., fought it with proof my car wasn't there and got it dismissed (plus my white truck is not a red sedan). Cops probably misread a blurred license plate and foisted the ticket on me. I hate overzealous ticketing.