S.T.O.P. Welcomes Massachusetts Facial Recognition Ban, Urges NY To Enact Same

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View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Welcomes Massachusetts Facial Recognition Ban, Urges NY to Enact Same (NEW YORK, NY, 12/2/2020) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a privacy and civil rights group, welcomes Massachusetts' lawmakers’ decision to ban police from using facial recognition.  The ban, which still requires Governor Charlie Baker’s signature to become law, prohibits police from using any biometric tracking system without a warrant.   SEE: Massachusetts May Become First State To Ban Police Use Of Facial Recognition https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2020/12/01/massachusetts-may-become-first-state-to-ban-police-use-of-facial-recognition/?sh=37ff3fbca9f2   The ban comes as New York City and other localities continue to expand their use of facial recognition. In October, S.T.O.P. revealed that the NYPD had conducted more than 22,000 facial recognition searches in the prior three years. And since July, the New York civil rights group has called on New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to sign A6787/S05140 into law, which would ban school-based facial recognition across the state. Governor Cuomo now has less than a month less to sign the measure.   S.T.O.P. Condemns NYPD For 22K Facial Recognition Searches https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2020/10/23/stop-condemns-nypd-for-22k-facial-recognition-searches   S.T.O.P. Welcomes NY Ban on Facial Recognition In Schools https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2020/7/22/stop-welcomes-ny-ban-on-facial-recognition-in-schools “We applaud Massachusetts’ historic ban on facial recognition and we call on New York’s elected officials to do the same,“ said STOP Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “New York should be a leader on protecting civil rights, but until we are, we should at least keep up with the model set by progressive states like Massachusetts. The facts are clear: many facial recognition algorithms are broken and biased. The city and state have failed enact the safeguards we would need to prevent algorithmic discriminating against communities of color. Rather than investing millions of dollars in this invasive technology, we should follow Massachusetts’ lead and ban it.” 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 © 2019 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved.