Facial recognition technology is inaccurate, and miscategorizes the
faces of Black people.
[ [link removed] ][IMG]
Demand New York City Speaker Corey Johnson regulate NYPD’s use of facial
recognition technology.
[ [link removed] ]Take Action
Dear John.
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has targeted Black people,
neighborhoods, and even children with the use of unregulated facial
recognition technology and must be stopped.^1^,2
On the second day of the new year, more than three weeks after the US
House of Representatives voted to impeach him, President Trump ordered the
assassination of Iranian Commander Qasem Soleimani.^3^,4 In response, the
NYPD released statements in preparation for possible retaliation, but made
no mention of how increased security will put Black communities in harm's
way.^5 With no oversight for the use of facial recognition technology,
Black New York City residents run the risk of winding up in a unregulated
police database, or even arrested and prosecuted, due to the inaccuracy of
this technology and its disproportionate use against our communities.
In the face of current events, now is the time for New York City Speaker
Corey Johnson to sign the Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology
(POST) Act into law and require the NYPD to submit information to the
public about the surveillance technology it uses.
[ [link removed] ]Demand New York City Speaker Corey Johnson pass the POST Act to rein in
facial recognition technology.
NYPD surveillance tools present a danger to all New Yorkers, more
specifically Black New Yorkers. The NYPD’s arsenal of spy tools, at its
core, is a flawed form of surveillance that comes at the expense of basic
human rights, security, and privacy. A recent study performed by the
National Institute of Standards and Technology has scientifically proven
that facial recognition technology is inaccurate, and miscategorizes the
faces of women and Black people, who are one hundred times more likely to
have a false positive reading.^6^,7^
In a test conducted by the American Civil Liberties Union, the facial
recognition technology used by Amazon and known as Rekognition,
incorrectly matched the photos of 28 members of Congress with mug shots of
individuals with previous arrests. Alarmingly, these false matches also
disproportionately identified six members of the Congressional Black
Caucus.^8 Police violence against Black people is at an all-time high and
we cannot allow lawmakers to ignore how facial recognition programs and
increased homeland security so often result in potentially violent
interactions with the police.
[ [link removed] ]Demand New York City Speaker Corey Johnson prioritize Black New York
City residents and regulate NYPD’s use of facial recognition technology.
New York City Council members introduced the Public Oversight of
Surveillance Technology (POST) Act, which requires the NYPD to disclose
how it utilizes electronic surveillance tools, more than two years ago.^9
Passing this bill comes with the overwhelming support of New Yorkers and a
veto proof majority from Councilmembers. The POST Act has been championed
by Speaker Corey Johnson since its inception and his continued support
would come at the defense of Black New York City residents.
Police should never have access to highly invasive technology such as
”X-ray vans” and “Stingray” cell phone towers that track cell phone user
locations. However, since this technology is currently in use, there must
be policies and procedures that control it.^10 It’s long past time that
Speaker Corey Johnson follow through with his commitment to the POST Act
and enforce regulations requiring that the NYPD be transparent about its
experimentation on its citizens.
[ [link removed] ]Demand Speaker Corey Johnson pass the Public Oversight of Surveillance
Technology (POST) Act.
Color Of Change successfully fought for the San Francisco Board of
Supervisors to adopt the Stop Secret Surveillance Ordinance, banning San
Francisco agencies from acquiring or using facial recognition
technologies. Our efforts to hold elected officials accountable for
racially biased technologies has the strength of 30 partner organizations
to ensure this invasive technology does not further oppress and harm our
communities. Cities such as Oakland, California and Somerville,
Massachusetts have banned the use of facial recognition, and other cities
are demanding oversight and accountability.^11
[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition: Demand Speaker Corey Johnson pass the POST Act.
Until justice is real,
--Brandi, Rashad, Arisha, Evan, Johnny, Jade, Future, Eesha, Samantha,
Marcus, FolaSade, Jenette, Cierra and the rest of the Color Of Change team
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References:
1. “Facial Recognition Controversy Spurs Push For Stalled NYPD
Transparency Bill,” City and State New York, August 5, 2019,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
2. “She Was Arrested at 14. Then Her Photo Went to a Facial Recognition
Database,” The New York Times, August 1, 2019,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
3. “Trump Was Impeached December 18. Why Hasn't The Impeachment Trial
Begun?,” CNN, January 10, 2020,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
4. “The War That’s Been Coming,” Blavity, January 3, 2020,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
5. “NYPD Increasing Security Following U.S. Airstrike That Killed Top
Iranian General,” NBC New York, January 3, 2020,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
6. “Facial Recognition Is Accurate, if You’re a White Guy,” The New York
Times, February 9, 2018,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
7. “Facial-recognition Technology Has A Racial-bias Problem, According to
a New Landmark Federal Study,” Business Insider, December 20, 2019,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
8. “Amazon’s Face Recognition Falsely Matched 28 Members of Congress With
Mugshots,” ACLU, July 26, 2018,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
9. “The New York City Council Black, Latino, And Asian Caucus,” BLAC
Press Release, November 28, 2018,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
10. “Fact-Check The POST-Act National Security,” Brennan Center,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
11. “Oakland Bans Use Of Facial Recognition Technology, Citing Bias
Concerns,” San Francisco Chronicle,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
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[ [link removed] ]Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black
folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. [ [link removed] ]Help
keep our movement strong.
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