S.T.O.P. Launches Campaign Condemning NY Mets’ Facial Recognition Ticketing

View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Launches Campaign Condemning NY Mets’ Facial Recognition Ticketing   (New York, NY, 9/21/2022) - Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, condemns the New York Mets’ implementation of a facial recognition ticketing system, launching a petition to remove the surveillance technology from ticket stands immediately. The new ticketing system, developed in partnership with computer vision company, Wicket, encourages stadium goers to upload their image on MLB.com, registering their face before checking-in at Citi Field gates.   SEE: S.T.O.P. Petition - Tell The NY Mets: Steal Bases, Not Faces! https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/c3df0ce3ea3bd820c3fe5d25a253ab8be0e1acf9/?hash=3ec7797ed724a5e078de999516a07593   Sporttechie - The New Face of Baseball: Mets to Roll Out Facial Recognition Ticketing at Citi Field https://www.sporttechie.com/the-new-face-of-baseball-mets-to-roll-out-facial-recognition-ticketing-at-citi-field   The petition notes that Wicket and other commercial facial recognition providers may store and trade the images they collect, making consumers’ biometric information vulnerable to hackers, ICE, and the NYPD. In August, the New York Supreme Court ruled in favor of S.T.O.P. and Amnesty International in their Article 78 lawsuit that NYPD must disclose thousands of records showing their use of facial recognition against Black Lives Matter activists during the historic 2020 protests.   SEE: Amnesty International - USA: NYPD ordered to hand over documents detailing surveillance of Black Lives Matter protests following lawsuit https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/08/usa-nypd-black-lives-matter-protests-surveilliance/ S.T.O.P. - Ban the Scan Campaign https://www.stopspying.org/ban-the-scan   "When I'm at a Mets game, I want an overpriced hot dog, not a facial recognition scanner in my face," said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Development Director Sam Van Doran. "Fans shouldn't have to give away their faces when a barcode will do just fine. Surveillance vendors push tech solutions for problems that don't exist, without considering the consequences. As a Mets fan, I'm an optimist - but when biometric data is collected by a private company for unknown purposes, we all lose." 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.