S.T.O.P Sues MTA For Facial Recognition Records

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View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P Sues MTA for Facial Recognition Records   [NEW YORK, NY, 1/07/2020] – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy group, announced the filing on January 6 of a lawsuit against MTA, New York City Transit (NYCT) seeking the disclosure of records about the apparent installation of facial recognition in the Times Square–42nd Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal subway station. The lawsuit was filed on S.T.O.P.’s behalf by Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, a leading international law firm, in New York State Supreme Court, after NYCT failed to respond to S.T.O.P.’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request. SEE: Lawsuit https://www.stopspying.org/s/Verified-Petition.pdf   Background on Litigation https://www.stopspying.org/mta-facial-recognition   “New Yorkers deserve to know if the MTA is using invasive new spy tools,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “More than eight months ago, we submitted a straightforward request, but since then we’ve received nothing but evasion and stonewalling. If the MTA was telling New Yorkers the truth about their facial recognition systems, then why has it taken nearly a year to get the documents that prove it?”   S.T.O.P. submitted its FOIL request on April 19, 2019, following a tweet from New York Times Employee Alice Fung that revealed a Wisenet brand display, with yellow squares drawn over the faces of transit riders as they entered the Times Square station.  The MTA publicly denied that the Wisenet brand monitors had facial recognition capability, but they so far have refused to provide any of the documents that would confirm their claim.   SEE: Video Screen In Subway Station Not Spying On You, MTA Says https://patch.com/new-york/new-york-city/video-screen-subway-station-not-spying-you-mta-says   Group Claims MTA Has Facial Recognition Cameras In Subways https://wcbs880.radio.com/articles/group-claims-mta-rolling-out-facial-recognition-cameras-subway-stations   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 – CONTACT: S.T.O.P. Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn;   Copyright © 2019 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved.