Advocates Rally Against Facial Recognition, Launch ‘Decode Surveillance NYC’

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For Immediate Release

Advocates Rally Against Facial Recognition, Launch ‘Decode Surveillance NYC’
Organizers called on New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson to introduce legislation banning government facial recognition and launched Amnesty International’s surveillance crowdsourcing platform.

(New York, NY 4/19/21) – On Saturday, April 17^th, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), New York City Council Member Brad Lander, Access Now, African Communities Together, Calyx Institute, Cryptoharlem, Empire State Indivisible, Fight for the Future, Immigrant Defense Project, New York Civil Liberties Union, New York Immigration Coalition, Open MIC, Policing & Social Justice Project, and Youth Justice Board held a rally in Washington Square Park against facial recognition, launching Amnesty International’s Decode Surveillance NYC crowdsourcing platform. Advocates called on New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson to “Ban The Scan” and introduce legislation outlawing government use of facial recognition in New York City. The groups say that facial recognition is a “digital stop-and-frisk” that puts BIPOC, immigrant, and Muslim New Yorkers in harm’s way.

SEE: Ban The Scan Rally Livestream
https://twitter.com/STOPSpyingNY/status/1383472797100298248?s=20

Ban The Scan Rally Images
https://web.tresorit.com/l/JuCZY#Kg_O-7g1vmMhZ5OMZ84QzA

“We can’t continue to let the NYPD use facial recognition to surveil and police Black, brown, and immigrant communities,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Policy & Advocacy Manager Aly Panjwani. “Organizations across the city came together in force this Saturday to demand Speaker Johnson introduce a bill to ban facial recognition. New York City cannot be left behind in the fight against this biased, broken, and dangerous technology and Speaker Johnson must act now.”

“As a grassroots organization focused on increasing public engagement with democracy and enabling the passage of progressive policy to address systemic inequality across our state, we call on Corey Johnson to take the first step and bring legislation forward to introduce and pass a comprehensive ban on government facial recognition in NYC,” said Empire State Indivisible Co-Lead Organizer Kellie Leeson. “We should not be spending our tax dollars and adding to an arsenal of dubious and biased technology used with little oversight or clarity.”

Amnesty International’s Decode Surveillance NYC will let volunteers from around the world map the location of NYPD camera systems. The crowdsourcing project is the most ambitious effort to date to map thousands of NYPD surveillance systems spread across New York City.

SEE: Decode Surveillance NYC Website
https://decoders.amnesty.org/projects/decode-surveillance

Participants also joined a public letter writing campaign directed at Speaker Johnson, demanding him to support immediate introduction of a government facial recognition ban. If passed, New York would join a growing number of cities and states that outlaw facial recognition, including Boston, San Francisco, Oakland, Portland, and the state of Vermont.

SEE: The Guardian - Human rights group urges New York to ban police use of facial recognition
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jan/25/new-york-facial-recognition-technology-police

MIT Tech Review - The NYPD used a controversial facial recognition tool. Here’s what you need to know
https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/04/09/1022240/clearview-ai-nypd-emails/

The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider. 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.

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CONTACT: S.T.O.P. Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn

Presscommunications staffApril 19, 2021