S.T.O.P. Condemns New NYPD Facial Recognition Policy, Calls For Ban And Mandatory Privacy Reporting.

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View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Condemns New NYPD Facial Recognition Policy, Calls For Ban And Mandatory Privacy Reporting.   [NEW YORK, NY, 3/13/2020] -- Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy group, condemned the NYPD’s new facial recognition policy, repeating earlier calls for a state-wide ban on facial recognition surveillance and mandatory reporting on the privacy impact of all NYPD surveillance tools.  The policy does nothing to reform existing facial recognition practices, such as the use of software with higher error rates for New Yorkers of color, the routine alteration of images in photoshop, and the use of facial recognition for low-level offenses.   SEE: NYPD Issues Policy On Facial Recognition Software After Nearly Decade Of Use. https://www.nbcnewyork.com/on-air/as-seen-on/nypd-implements-new-facial-recognition-tech-policy-amid-critics-call-for-ban/2324722/   Text - NYPD Facial Recognition Policy https://www.stopspying.org/s/nypd-facial-recognition-patrol-guide.pdf   “After using facial recognition for a decade without any regulations, the NYPD’s policy is too little, too late,” said Albert Cahn, Executive Director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project at the Urban Justice Center. “This policy places no restrictions on some of the NYPD’s most problematic uses of facial recognition, such as reliance on software that misidentifies Black and Latin/X New Yorkers more often. At a moment when cities around the country are banning facial recognition, simply writing-down the status quo is not enough. We need limits on NYPD surveillance that will stop discrimination against communities of color and block wrongful convictions. Lawmakers in Albany and at City Hall must reign-in this high-tech stop-and-frisk.”   The facial recognition policy, which was published yesterday, came two weeks after it was revealed that the NYPD was the largest user of Clearview, a controversial facial recognition firm, which took photos from millions of Americans without consent to create their tracking tool. After initial denials that the department used Clearview, leaked company documents revealed that the NYPD ran more than 11,000 searches on the system.   SEE: Clearview’s Facial Recognition App Has Been Used By The Justice Department, ICE, Macy’s, Walmart, And The NBA https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/clearviews-facial-recognition-app-has-been-used-by-the   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 a 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 highlights that the NYPD has been operating without oversight of its surveillance technology for far too long. It shouldn’t take a decade to understand how New Yorkers’ privacy is being invaded. 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, which has been pending before the Council for 3 years.” 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;