S.T.O.P. Protests NYPD Facial Recognition In Times Sq. With Mayor Mask Handout

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View this email in your browser FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE S.T.O.P. Protests NYPD Facial Recognition In Times Sq. With Mayor Mask Handout (New York, NY 6/16/22) – Yesterday, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, protested NYPD facial recognition in Times Square, handing out masks with the faces of former New York City mayors. Passersby, including New York-based performer The Naked Cowboy, joined STOP in using the masks to fool nearby NYPD cameras. The event is part of “Stop Surveillance Summer,” a month-long hybrid event series organized by S.T.O.P. opposing NYPD surveillance. SEE: Protest Photos and Videos https://web.tresorit.com/l/0kZAA#GUHqdbi2D48Y9Y5z9Jz-aQ STOP SURVEILLANCE SUMMER EVENTS Page https://www.stopspying.org/stop-surveillance-summer “Biased NYPD surveillance watches us every single day, but we rarely can see it, that’s why it’s so important to make the surveillance visible to New Yorkers,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “Times Square once was a global symbol of freedom and democracy, but today its increasingly a surveillance state. Sadly, NYPD secrecy has enabled its surveillance systems to grow, and we have to see it to fight it.” “New York must ban facial recognition,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Legal Director David Siffert. “Most New Yorkers have a general sense that they are under surveillance, but most don’t realize how extreme the situation has become.  Not only have the number of NYPD cameras increased dramatically, but they swivel, zoom, and are equipped with facial recognition technology.  Today’s event showed the current surveillance state of Times Square as a warning, because it is rapidly becoming the norm rather than the exception.” Last week, the civil rights group organized a City Hall rally against surveillance technology. Participants condemned the use of facial recognition, geofence warrants, subway metal detectors, and other forms of discriminatory surveillance. SEE: News 12 Brooklyn - Surveillance tech and facial recognition a point of concern for advocates in NY https://brooklyn.news12.com/surveillance-tech-and-facial-recognition-a-point-of-concern-for-advocates-in-ny 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. -- END -- CONTACT: S.T.O.P. Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn   Copyright © 2021 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.