Memo: New York Called For Face Recognition Cameras At Bridges, Tunnels by Kevin Collier.
From the post:
The state of New York has privately asked surveillance companies to pitch a vast camera system that would scan and identify people who drive in and out of New York City, according to a December memo obtained by Vocativ.
The call for private companies to submit plans is part of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s major infrastructure package, which he introduced in October. Though much of the related proposals would be indisputably welcome to most New Yorkers — renovating airports and improving public transportation — a little-noticed detail included installing cameras to “test emerging facial recognition software and equipment.”
…
The proposed system would be massive, the memo reads:
The Authority is interested in implementing a Facial Detection System, in a free-flow highway environment, where vehicle movement is unimpeded at highway speeds as well as bumper-to-bumper traffic, and license plate images are taken and matched to occupants of the vehicles (via license plate number) with Facial Detection and Recognition methods from a gantry-based or road-side monitoring location.
All seven of the MTA’s bridges and both its tunnels are named in the proposal.
Proposals only at this point but take this as fair warning.
Follow both Kevin Collier and Vocativ as plans by the State of New York to eliminate privacy for its citizens develop.
Counter-measures
One counter measure to license plate readers is marketed under the name PhotoMaskCover.
Caution: I have never used the PhotoMaskCover product and have no relationship with its manufacturer. It claims to work. Evaluate as you would any other product from an unknown vendor.
For the facial recognition cameras, I was reminded that a hoodie and sunglasses are an easy and non-suspicious way to avoid such cameras.
For known MTA facial recognition cameras, wear a deep cowl that casts a complete shadow on your facial features. (Assuming you can drive safely with the loss of peripheral vision.)
As the number of deep cowls increase in MTA images, authorities will obsess more and more over the “unidentifieds,” spending their resources less and less effectively.
Defeating surveillance increases everyone’s freedom.