How ridiculous are fears about facial-recognition technology? Well, “advocates” from the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project are suing the MTA simply because the tech might be in use at the 42nd Street/Port Authority station.
The MTA says the plainly-visible monitor above a set of turnstiles and with a sign about “monitoring in progress,” was just a scarecrow, meant to deter farebeaters. But surveillance-truther Albert Fox Cahn told the Daily News: “New Yorkers deserve to know if the MTA is using invasive new spy tools.” Invasive, how?
The subway is a public place, and loaded with cameras. Even if computer programs scan and process those images, the results don’t lead to any action unless and until humans make use of (and confirm) the info.
The MTA should use this tech: It has a huge fare-beating problem. The software can also help going after subway pervs and other underground menaces.
And, for all the advocates’ suggestions that the tech amounts to a racist Skynet, it poses no risks at all to the law-abiding.
It’s not the technology that allows for Big Brother — it’s how you use it.