2021 NYC Hikvision Camera Census

Map of surveillance camera locations across NYC

In this first annual surveillance census, S.T.O.P. sought to map out all of the internet-enabled cameras operating in New York City. Even as many companies hide the location of their surveillance equipment, the Chinese-based firm Hikvision still allows their devices to be located…and the results are shocking. We identified 16,692 cameras in New Yorker City alone. This page details where Hikvision cameras across the five boroughs. While the numbers are extraordinarily high, please remember that for every one Hikvision camera we have mapped, there are dozens, possibly hundreds of other camera systems whose location remains hidden.

 

Borough Breakdown

 
Brooklyn: 6154
Queens: 4335
Manhattan: 3155
The Bronx: 1637
Staten Island: 1411
 

City-Wide Total: 16,692

Summary

While Hikvision cameras are found in nearly every single New York City zip code, the bulk of the cameras are heavily concentrated in a small number of neighborhoods. Rockefeller Center is New York City’s most heavily surveilled zip code, with roughly five times as many cameras as the next largest zip code. Additionally, the Rockefeller Center zip code (10020) is one of the smaller geographic zip codes in New York City, meaning that the shopping and office complex has far more Hikvision cameras per block than any other site in the city.

Each Hikvision camera has the capacity to be paired with facial recognition: the error-prone, biased, and invasive technology that has come under growing national scrutiny. Facial recognition software is most inaccurate for darker-skinned BIPOC individuals, particularly Black women. The technology has led to numerous false arrests, and it can be easily weaponized to suppress protests, religious activity, and even access to reproductive healthcare.

S.T.O.P. continues to advocate for a full ban on facial recognition in New York City as part of the global Ban The Scan Campaign.

Most Surveilled Zip Codes

  • 10020 – 1,972 cameras

    • Rockefeller Center, Manhattan

  • 11229 - 398 cameras

    • Sheepshead Bay / Marine Park, Brooklyn

  • 10312- 306 cameras

    • South Shore, Staten Island

  • 11230 - 305 cameras

    • Midwood, Brooklyn

  • 11226 - 305 cameras

    • Flatbush / Prospect Park South, Brooklyn

 

Other Resources

Earlier in 2021, Amnesty International mapped more than 15,000 NYPD cameras using Google Street View data, which is in addition to the Hikvision cameras mapped in the STOP camera census. Amnesty International’s innovative crowdsourcing effort used volunteers rom around the world to record NYPD cameras in public spaces, creating a crucial block-by-block resource for New Yorkers. You can learn more about their effort here, and the full dataset is available here.

 
 

Methodology

S.T.O.P. Technology and Operations Director Jackie Singh created this map with data from Shodan, a search engine for Internet-connected devices. Shodan primarily compiles device information from banners, metadata that is embedded in devices’ software, along with geographic location data and other contextual information. Because the majority of surveillance manufacturers shield their devices from open internet access, their location is also shielded from Shodan.

For more information on Shodan, please see: https://help.shodan.io/the-basics/what-is-shodan