For Immediate Release
S.T.O.P. Applauds Syracuse Facial Rec. Ban, Calls on NYC to Follow
(New York, NY, 5/20/2026) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, applauds the Syracuse Common Council for unanimously passing a law banning facial recognition and other biometric surveillance in most businesses across the city, including grocery stores and other retail establishments. The vote comes after reporting by Gothamist in January revealed that Wegmans had been using biometric surveillance in its New York City stores, sparking widespread outrage across the state. S.T.O.P. renewed its call on the New York City Council to pass legislation banning biometric surveillance in public accommodations.
SEE: Central Current – Syracuse lawmakers pass law banning biometric surveillance in public places
https://centralcurrent.org/syracuse-lawmakers-pass-law-banning-biometric-surveillance-in-public-places/
Gothamist – NYC Wegmans is storing biometric data on shoppers' eyes, voices and faces
https://gothamist.com/news/nyc-wegmans-is-storing-biometric-data-on-shoppers-eyes-voices-and-faces
"Syracuse just showed the rest of New York how to protect residents from facial recognition" said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Advocacy and Community Engagement Manager Corinne Worthington. "After New Yorkers broadly condemned Wegmans, Syracuse didn't wait for more businesses to start scanning customers’ faces. Biometric surveillance in our grocery stores and businesses is an invasion of privacy that disproportionately harms communities of color, immigrants, and LGBTQ+ New Yorkers. New York City must catch up to Syracuse and other cities around the country that have banned this broken, biased tech."
SEE: Ban The Scan campaign
https://www.banthescan.org/
Earlier this year, S.T.O.P. joined fellow civil rights groups and New York City Council Members Shahana Hanif and Alexa Avilés at a rally on the steps of City Hall calling on the City Council to ban facial recognition by public accommodations and landlords. Last month, the civil rights group condemned MSG Entertainment’s surveillance of protests near their venues and sports fans on social media.
SEE: Press Release – Council Members, Advocates Rally Against Facial Recognition Before City Council Considers Bans
https://www.stopspying.org/content-input/council-members-advocates-rally-against-facial-recognition-before-city-council-considers-bans
Press Release - S.T.O.P. Condemns MSG Entertainment Surveillance of Protesters, Sports Fans On Social Media
https://www.stopspying.org/content-input/stop-condemns-msg-entertainment-surveillance-of-protesters-sports-fans-on-social-media?rq=MSG
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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