The Threat of Face Recognition Technology in NYC Housing

The Atlantic Plaza Towers Tenants Association has come together to speak out against proposals for facial recognition systems in residential spaces throughout the city. Facial recognition technology is an unnecessary evil being forced on marginalized communities of color in gentrifying areas that are already being over surveilled in some cases.

We are dedicated to filling the gap in the flow of information from tech and political communities into our own, as we are tired of reacting and are ready and willing to be proactive in the building up of our community. We are fighting not only facial recognition, but for our right to privacy as well; our right to the same privacy that those who’s proposing this bill has, to dwell in our homes without eyes and/or algorithms watching our every move and exposing our families to unnecessary outcomes of living with AI.

The presentation will look at how we at the Atlantic Plaza Towers came to learn about the proposed use of facial recognition technology and the how it threatens our tenancies, ability to move about freely, and basic privacy in our homes. We will discuss recent legislation introduced at the federal, state, and city levels in response to our opposition and how we are connecting with other tenants across NYC to keep our homes free of face recognition technology.