S.T.O.P. Condemns MTA Request For Information On AI Surveillance

S.T.O.P. condemns the MTA’s request for information on artificial intelligence tools to expand surveillance on New York City transit.

View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Condemns MTA Request For Information On AI Surveillance (New York, NY, 1/8/2026) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, condemns the MTA’s request for information on artificial intelligence tools to expand surveillance on New York City transit. According to reporting by The City, MTA is seeking information AI-driven weapon detectors, behavioral monitoring, and other invasive technologies leveraging real-time video analysis. S.T.O.P. warned AI behavioral surveillance is highly error-prone and biased toward BIPOC and disabled New Yorkers, and reiterated the failure of Eric Adams’ previous attempt to roll out AI weapon detectors on the subway. SEE: The City - MTA Explores How to Use AI to Monitor Thousands of Cameras in Transit System https://www.thecity.nyc/2026/01/08/subway-artificial-intelligence-cameras-tech/ “The MTA has no right to treat New Yorkers like guinea pigs for their endless AI experiments,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Communications Director Will Owen. “Any AI software that claims to flag so-called unusual behavior is pure pseudoscience, disproportionately targeting BIPOC and disabled transit riders. New Yorkers should never have to worry they’ll be flagged by law enforcement simply for the way they talk or walk. We already saw the resounding failure of Eric Adams’ AI weapon detector rollout, so MTA should stop exploring more of these surveillance boondoggles. New Yorkers need safe, reliable transit, not magical thinking from Silicon Valley.” SEE: City & State New York - The results are in! Evolv gun scanners recover zero guns in subways https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2024/10/results-are-evolv-gun-scanners-recover-zero-guns-subways/400522/ Press Release - S.T.O.P. Condemns Adams’ Subway Metal Detectors As “Knockoff TSA Checkpoints” https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2024/7/25/stop-condemns-adams-subway-metal-detectors-as-knockoff-tsa-checkpoints?rq=evolv In April, S.T.O.P. condemned the MTA’s admission it was testing behavioral surveillance AI to score how rationally riders were behaving. In 2023, the 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. SEE: Press Release - S.T.O.P. Condemns MTA Behavioral Surveillance AI https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2025/4/29/stop-condemns-mta-behavioral-surveillance-ai?rq=MTA%20AI Press Release - S.T.O.P. Reveals MTA AI Surveillance Contract https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2023/7/20/stop-reveals-mta-ai-surveillance-contract?rq=MTA%20AI 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 -- Copyright © 2025 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.