new york subway

Group Sues New York City MTA For Records On Facial Recognition Use in Subway Station

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority maintains that it has not used facial recognition on riders, but privacy advocates want records related to the technology the agency purchased.

A New York privacy advocacy group is suing the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority for records relating to the agency’s installation of surveillance camera tech in a subway station last year.  

The lawsuit, filed on Jan. 6 by the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), was prompted by the April 19 tweet of a New York Times employee who noticed a Wisenet monitor of riders as they entered the Times Square-42nd Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal. The photo showed yellow squares drawn over the faces of the passengers, leading many to suspect that the surveillance cameras were using facial recognition technology.

 

 

S.T.O.P. filed a public information request for documentation of the surveillance cameras’ capabilities in April, which the MTA did not respond to, according to the organization.

“New Yorkers deserve to know if the MTA is using invasive new spy tools,” Albert Fox Cahn, the executive director of S.T.O.P., said in a statement. “More than eight months ago, we submitted a straightforward request, but since then we’ve received nothing but evasion and stonewalling.”

The MTA has repeatedly denied that the Wisenet monitors had facial recognition capability. In a statement, MTA spokesperson Shams Tarek reiterated the agency’s position.

“There is absolutely no facial recognition component to these cameras, no facial recognition software, or anything else that could be used to automatically identify people in any way, and we have no plans to add facial recognition software to these cameras in the future,” Tarek said. “ Beyond that, it’s our policy not to comment on pending litigation.”

Wisenet does offer facial recognition technology cameras, but it is not clear if that was the product purchased by the MTA. When the tweet was shared last year, the MTA said the video monitor was intended to scare people from turnstyle jumping, according to The New York Daily News.

But Cahn maintains that the agency should have to produce records showing what it purchased and what its intended purpose was.

“If the MTA was telling New Yorkers the truth about their facial recognition systems, then why has it taken nearly a year to get the documents that prove it?” Cahn said.

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Security Industry Embraces Mobile Credentials, Biometrics and AI, New Trends Report From HID Finds

    As organizations navigate an increasingly complex threat landscape, security leaders are making strategic shifts toward unified platforms and emerging technologies, according to the newly released 2025 State of Security and Identity Report from HID. The comprehensive study gathered responses from 1,800 partners, end users, and security and IT personnel worldwide, and reveals a significant transformation in how businesses are approaching security, with mobile credentials and artificial intelligence emerging as key drivers of innovation. Read Now

  • UK’s NHS Hospital Transforms Security with Edge-processing Camera System

    i-PRO Co., Ltd.,(formerly Panasonic Security), a manufacturer of edge computing cameras for security and public safety, recently announced that a leading teaching hospital in Northeast England, has enhanced its security infrastructure with i-PRO X-Series cameras integrated with Milestone’s XProtect Video Management Software (VMS). Read Now

  • Gun Violence Report Finds Retail Spaces, K-12 Schools Most Targeted

    ZeroEyes, the creators of the only AI-based gun detection video analytics platform that holds the U.S. Department of Homeland Security SAFETY Act Designation, today announced the release of its annual Gun Violence Report, offering a deep dive into the landscape of gun-related incidents across the United States. This analysis extends beyond mass fatality events, providing a more nuanced understanding of when, where, and why shootings occur. Read Now

  • Agentic AI Will Revolutionize Cybercrime in 2025 According to New Report

    Malwarebytes, a provider in real-time cyber protection, recently released its 2025 State of Malware report, which reveals insight into the emergence of agentic artificial intelligence (AI), plus the year’s most prominent threats and cybercrime tactics. The report details a significant uptick in the number of known ransomware attacks, the total value of ransoms paid in 2024, and how IT teams can address them. Read Now

New Products

  • Compact IP Video Intercom

    Viking’s X-205 Series of intercoms provide HD IP video and two-way voice communication - all wrapped up in an attractive compact chassis.

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.