S.T.O.P. Welcomes End Of NYPD Times Sq. Robot Pilot

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For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Welcomes End Of NYPD Times Sq. Robot Pilot (New York, NY 2/2/24) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, welcomes the end of the pilot program for the Times Square subway station’s K5 robot. Designed by Knightscope, the drone was launched as a pilot program in September and is equipped with cameras able to send real-time footage to NYPD. The New York Times reported that the robot has been removed from the Times Square station due to its general uselessness, and is now “exiled in a vacant storefront.” SEE: The New York Times - Goodbye for Now to the Robot That (Sort Of) Patrolled New York’s Subway https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/02/nyregion/nypd-subway-robot-retires.html “I said this was a trash can on wheels, but it looks like the wheels aren’t even working at this point,” Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “With major crimes down and the mayor mandating budget cuts across city agencies, why are we spending so much money on these gadgets? When crime was rising nationwide, we were told surveillance was the solutation. But now crime is plummeting across the country, including cities that banned these dystopian devices. If we don’t have money to keep the library doors open, we definitely don’t have cash for creepy robots.” After the pilot program’s initial launch, S.T.O.P. condemned the Times Square robot as a “trashcan on wheels,” warning that its footage may be fed into existing facial recognition systems. In April, the civil rights group condemned Mayor Eric Adam’s and NYPD Commissioner Sewell’s launch of other “knockoff Robocop” police drones technologies, including Knightscope K5 surveillance drones, Boston Robotics’ Digidog, and Starchase GPS tracking devices. SEE: The New York Times - 400-Pound N.Y.P.D. Robot Gets Tryout in Times Square Subway Station https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/22/nyregion/police-robot-times-square-nyc.html Press Release - S.T.O.P. Condemns NYPD’s ‘Knockoff Robocop’ Police Drones https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2023/4/11/stop-condemns-nypds-knockoff-robocop-police-drones 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.