S.T.O.P. Commends Cuomo For Signing School Facial Recognition Ban

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View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Commends Cuomo For Signing School Facial Recognition Ban The civil rights group commends New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for signing S5140/A06787, banning facial recognition in K-12 schools.   (NEW YORK, NY, 22/18/2020) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy group, commends New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s signing of a groundbreaking K-12 school facial recognition ban. The measure, S5140/A06787, bans facial recognition and other biometric tracking systems until at least July 1, 2022.   SEE: Text of S5140/A06787 https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/s5140   Schools are using facial recognition to try to stop shootings. Here’s why they should think twice. https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/12/20/21028124/schools-facial-recognition-mass-shootings   “We thank Governor Cuomo for signing this historic facial recognition ban into law,” said STOP Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “Facial recognition is biased and broken, and it has no place in the classroom. If used in schools, facial recognition will become yet another part of the surveillance-to-prison pipeline. Students of color shouldn’t have to fear arrest simply for showing their face in class. This technology is documented to be more error-prone for Black and Latin/X students, compounding the human bias they face every day. We also call on New York to go further and permanently ban all government use of facial recognition.”   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.   S.T.O.P. Welcomes Massachusetts Facial Recognition Ban, Urges NY To Enact Same https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2020/12/2/stop-welcomes-massachusetts-facial-recognition-ban-urges-ny-to-enact-same?rq=facial%20recognition   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 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 –