S.T.O.P. Reveals MTA AI Surveillance Contract

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View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Reveals MTA AI Surveillance Contract (New York, NY, 7/7/2023) - Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, revealed the MTA contracts with the artificial intelligence surveillance firm Awaait to monitor subway fare evasion. The previously unreported contract, which S.T.O.P. obtained under New York’s Freedom of Information Law, uses the MTA’s sprawling network of cameras and Awaait’s AI software to measure alleged fare evasion across the transit system. The civil rights group said that the contract raised crucial privacy and bias questions, noting that it feared that the technology would promote further policing of mass transit. SEE: Redacted MTA Agreement With Awaait https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2023/7/20/mta-ai-surveillance-contracts-obtained-by-stop NBC – NYC subway using AI to track fare evasion https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/nyc-subway-using-ai-track-fare-evasion-rcna93045 “AI can’t fix the unaffordability of transit, but it can creep people out,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “We know the reasons why New Yorkers ride without paying: poverty, lost MetroCard’s, and limits on school transit passes. This AI will just become a pretext for policing stations even more aggressively. But no matter how much surveillance we install, we can’t get people to pay for the train if they can’t afford it. And this raises real concerns about how the MTA is tracking New Yorkers and where that data is kept.” The civil rights group previously criticized the MTA’s plans to spend millions of dollars to install surveillance cameras in every single subway car. At the time, the group calle the measure wasteful “surveillance theater.”   SEE: NY1 – Albert Fox Cahn talks about MTA’s new plans https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/inside-city-hall/2022/09/30/albert-fox-cahn-talks-about-mta-s-new-plans WIRED – The ‘Surveillance Solutionism’ of Putting Cameras in NYC Subways https://www.wired.com/story/the-surveillance-solutionism-of-putting-cameras-in-nyc-subways/ 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 -- Presscommunications staffJuly 20, 2023 Facebook0 Twitter LinkedIn0 Reddit Tumblr 0 Likes Previous S.T.O.P. Condemns ESRB’s Gaming Facial Recognition Plans Presscommunications staffJuly 26, 2023 Next MTA AI Surveillance Contracts Obtained By STOP Albert cahnJuly 20, 2023 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, Inc. 40 Rector Street 9th Floor New York, NY 10006 About Our Vision Our Team Our Work What We Say What We Do What We Want What We Blog Learn More Legislation Research Projects Privacy Toolkits Research Blog Get Involved Law Students Other Interns AmeriCorps VISTA Fellowship Staff Openings Volunteers Connect Contact Us Request Training Request Help Media Donate Copyright© 2022, Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, Inc. (STOP). All rights reserved. S.T.O.P.® is a registered trademark. The contents of the S.T.O.P. website (www.StopSpying.org) (the "Site") are provided for informational purposes only; nothing herein constitutes legal advice. No individual or entity should act or refrain from acting on the basis of any content included in the Site without seeking the appropriate legal or other professional advice on that recipient’s particular circumstances. The Site’s content contains general information and may not reflect current legal developments, verdicts and/or settlements. STOP expressly disclaims all liability to any person with respect to the Site’s contents, and with respect to any act or failure to act made in reliance on any information contained herein. Use of, and/or communication with the Site does not create or constitute an attorney-client relationship between STOP and any viewer or user of such information. Read our privacy policy here.