17 Civil Rights Groups Launch NYC Campaign To Ban Facial Recognition

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For Immediate Release 17 Civil Rights Groups Launch NYC Campaign To Ban Facial Recognition (New York, NY 10/18/23) – Today, 17 civil rights groups, led by the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), Amnesty International, New York Civil Liberties Union, The Legal Aid Society, Surveillance Resistance Lab, Fight For The Future, and the Center On Race, Inequality, and the Law at NYU Law launched a public advocacy campaign to “ban the scan” in New York City, specifically demanding the New York City Council pass two pending bills banning facial recognition and other biometric technologies in residential buildings and public accommodations, such as stores and arenas. The campaign comes shortly after Mayor Eric Adams launched a citywide plan for “responsible” use of artificial intelligence. The Ban The Scan coalition stated that passage of the two facial recognition and biometric bans is an essential first step toward any “responsible” AI plan in New York City. SEE: Ban The Scan Campaign Website https://www.banthescan.org/ Press Release - S.T.O.P. Condemns Eric Adams’ Deepfake Robocalls, Calls ‘Responsible AI’ Plan ‘Deeply Irresponsible’ https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2023/10/16/stop-condemns-eric-adams-deepfake-robocalls-calls-responsible-ai-plan-deeply-irresponsible “Any so-called responsible AI plan in New York City would include banning facial recognition and other biometric surveillance tools, starting with the passage of these bans on the technology’s use in businesses and residential buildings,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Advocacy Manager Kat Phan. “Time and time again, these tools have disproportionately targeted and harmed BIPOC, Muslim, immigrant, LGBTQIA+ communities and other historically and systemically oppressed groups. STOP is proud to stand alongside other Ban the Scan coalition members and continue fighting for New York City to defend its residents’ right to personal and communal safety and security.” “The City Council must take a stand to protect our communities,” said Alli Finn, Senior Researcher & Organizer, Surveillance Resistance Lab. “Corporations and governments are increasingly deploying biometric surveillance technologies in ways that undermine people’s rights and agency. On a daily level, we are confronted with their increasing use of facial recognition and other biometrics technologies to criminalize poverty, facilitate mass arrests and incarceration, surveil social movements, target immigrants for deportation, and justify denying people basic rights. The City Council must ban their use.” “Facial recognition tech is risky, unreliable, and racially biased — and in the hands of law enforcement, it’s outright dangerous,” said Daniel Schwarz, Senior Privacy & Technology Strategist at the New York Civil Liberties Union. “We've seen the harms of facial recognition technology amplifying racist policing and leading to wrongful arrests. Whether in their homes, patronizing local businesses, or accessing health care, New Yorkers don’t want live in a world where biometric surveillance constantly monitors their every move — we’re proud to fight alongside our coalition partners so New York City bans the scan once and for all.” Last month, 32 civil rights groups, led by the Ban The Scan Coalition, submitted a memo of support demanding the New York City Council pass the two pending bills banning facial recognition and other biometric technologies in residential buildings and public accommodations. The Ban The Scan and Privacy New York coalitions worked for more than two years to bring forward the legislation, which was finally introduced in the City Council in April this year.  SEE: Sign-on letter - Memorandum of Support for Intros 1014-2023 and 1024-2023 https://www.stopspying.org/s/Ints-1014-and-1024-Memo-of-Support_9_26_2023-Updated.pdf Press Release - S.T.O.P. Celebrates Intro Of 2 NYC Facial Recognition Bans https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2023/4/12/stop-celebrates-intro-of-2-nyc-facial-recognition-bans In May, S.T.O.P. joined elected officials and fellow civil rights groups in rallying against facial recognition and other biometric surveillance in New York City Hall Park ahead of a City Council hearing on Intros 1014-2023 and 1024-2023. Advocates and lawmakers called on the City Council to pass not only those two bills, but to also introduce a long-delayed ban on government use of biometric surveillance. SEE: Press Release - Electeds, Advocates Rally Against Facial Recognition Ahead Of City Council Hearing On Bans https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2023/5/3/electeds-advocates-rally-against-facial-recognition-ahead-of-city-council-hearing-on-bans PIX11 - NYC officials say facial recognition needs to be banned in public areas https://pix11.com/news/local-news/elected-officials-say-facial-recognition-needs-to-be-banned-in-public-areas/ 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.