Clearview and the NYPD

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For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Condemns NYPD's Partnership With Facial Recognition Company Linked To White Nationalists   [NEW YORK, NY, 1/23/2019] -- Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy group, condemned the NYPD for partnering with Clearview, a controversial facial recognition application with reported links to white nationalist figures. Clearview was previously condemned for scraping photos from millions of members of the public without consent, creating a platform that can be used to track nearly any person’s identity at any time.   SEE: Clearview AI Says Its Facial Recognition Software Identified A Terrorism Suspect. The Cops Say That's Not True. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/clearview-ai-nypd-facial-recognition   Rogue NYPD cops are using facial recognition app Clearview https://nypost.com/2020/01/23/rogue-nypd-cops-are-using-sketchy-facial-recognition-app-clearview/   When the NYPD was originally contacted by Buzzfeed reporters about the Clearview technology, the Department denied that it had been used. However, subsequent reporting by the New York Post confirmed that officers had had access to Clearview’s technology.   “The NYPD not only put this terrifying technology in the hands of officers, but it then tried to mislead the public,” said Albert Cahn, Executive Director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project at the Urban Justice Center. “When reporters asked the NYPD to confirm if they had used Clearview’s facial recognition technology, the Department denied it. But now we are learning that officers were free to install the incredibly invasive app. If the NYPD is willing to mislead the public about this technology, how can we take them at their word about any other?”   The New York privacy group is a lead proponent of the Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act, a city council bill that would require privacy protections for all NYPD surveillance programs and databases. The bill, which is sponsored by a majority of the City Council and endorsed by the New York Times, recently had hearing before the Council’s Public Safety Committee.   SEE: POST Act https://www.stopspying.org/post-act   San Francisco Banned Facial Recognition. New York Isn’t Even Close. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/18/opinion/nypd-post-act-surveillance.html   Cahn continued, “this case highlights that the NYPD has been operating without oversight of its surveillance technology for far too long. This is why we are once again calling on City Council Speaker Cory Johnson to allow an immediate vote on the Public Oversight Of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act.”   The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider hosted by the Urban Justice Center. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color.   - END –   Copyright © 2020 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.