What is facial recognition technology? How does the use of facial recognition technology by the police impact New Yorkers? How do we balance public safety and privacy?
During the 2019-2020 school year, CUP collaborated with Teaching Artist Hugo Rojas and public high school students from the Bronx School for Law, Government, and Justice to explore the complicated world of facial recognition technology and its impact on local communities. To investigate, students got out of the classroom to survey members of their community, interview key stakeholders working on the issue, and create art to decode, rewire, and redesign the possibilities of facial recognition technology.
The group teamed up with Designer Stephanie Winarto to create this website to teach others what they learned about the effects of facial recognition technology on New Yorkers, present and future.
Interview with
Jonathan Stribling-Uss
Media Democracy Fund Technology Fellow, New York Civil Liberties Union
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ππππ³π΄π½π If facial recognition technology were an animal, what would it be, and why?
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It would be a giant squid on the face of humanity, sucking everyone, gathering data and personal attributes up and then spitting out a giant cloud of noxious ink.
Interview with
Emmanuel Mauleon
Police and Technology Fellow, Policing Project, New York University School of Law
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ππππ³π΄π½π If facial recognition technology were an animal, what would it be, and why?
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I guess it would be an animal smart enough to recognize faces. What animal has the most eyes? A spider? A fly? An eagle? What's an animal you really wish couldn't see you well? Imaging like, grafting the head of an eagle onto a grizzly bear. I feel like that's what facial recognition technology is like! Super powerful and dangerous if it knows where you are.
Interview with
Albert Fox Cahn
Founder and Executive Director, Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.)
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ππππ³π΄π½π If facial recognition technology were an animal, what would it be, and why?
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It would be a spider like a spider itβs constantly stringing this web in the background connection between different points of information each one of those dots being a moment or a life captured on the camera and like a spider itβs tracking all of these innocent creatures in that web just to be devoured without mercy.
Interview with
Vanessa Gibson
New York City Council Member, District 16
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ππππ³π΄π½π If facial recognition technology were an animal, what would it be, and why?
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₯ Yeah, so I guess I could say an eagle, as a watchdog. Because thatβs really what facial recognition is about. Itβs to literally like, watch people and to capture, you know, facial images.