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Software that uses artificial intelligence to detect fare evaders has been quietly deployed at some New York City subway stations, according to NBC News.
The system, which has not been previously named by the city and the transit authority, uses third-party software that its creator has touted as a way to engage law enforcement to crack down on fare evasion.
The system was in use at seven subway stations in May, according to a report posted online by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees New York’s public transportation. According to the report, the MTA expects the system to expand by “about two dozen more stations by the end of the year, with more to follow.” Among other things, the MTA is said to have lost $690 million due to fare evasion in 2022.
Joana Flores, spokeswoman for the MTA, said the AI system does not provide the NYPD with the data of people who do not pay subway fares. But she declined to comment on whether that policy might change over time. Police officials also declined to comment.
Tim Minton, director of public relations for the MTA, said the system tracks offenders to figure out how much money the metro is losing on such passengers.
“We use it mainly as a counting tool,” Minton explained. “The goal is to determine how many people evade fares and how they do it.”
On the subject: MTA to make five bus routes free in New York: list
Minton said the videos are stored on the MTA’s servers “for a limited period of time.” Last year, New York Governor Kathy Hokul’s office announced that more than 10,000 surveillance cameras were installed in the city’s transportation systems.
Violation of the right to privacy
Some privacy advocates oppose this kind of innovation.
“This is the moment when movement around the city is under control like never before,” said Albert Fox Kahn, director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, which advocates for privacy rights in New York City.
“We have already seen automatic license plate readers. We saw the collection of data on the history of Uber and Lyft. Tens of thousands of cameras available to the police, he noted. “Therefore, New York is increasingly becoming a city where there is no way to move privately.”
The software was created by the Spanish company AWAAIT, Flores confirmed. AWAAIT declined to comment.
A promotional video for AWAAIT’s fare evasion detection software shows a scheme in which the AWAAIT system was originally used to scan passengers passing through the subway system and send photos of people it believed were fare evaders to the smartphones of nearby station employees. MTA assurances that the software would not be used to assist law enforcement failed to convince civil rights advocates, who were already alarmed by previous attempts to crack down on fare evasion.
In 2019, City Police officers were directed to fine, rather than detain, most traffic offenders if they provided identification and were screened through the NYPD Counterterrorism Unit’s surveillance system.
Since last year, the number of police officers at metro stations has increased and the number of arrests has also increased. The police department arrested blacks and Hispanics for fare evasion much more often than other races, and this prompted accusations of racism.
On the subject: New York wants to raise subway fares: citizens against
Vulnerable categories
Molly Griffard, a staff lawyer for the Social Justice Legal Aid Society, says fare evaders are mostly the poor. Many people face unpleasant consequences, such as fines or legal problems, because they cannot afford to pay their fares. This exacerbates financial hardship for people who are already in a difficult situation.
An edited MTA contract for the AI system dated July 2022, which Kahn acquired under the Freedom of Information Act and shared with NBC News, shows the system was first tested in New York in 2020, with more stations added in 2021.
GovSpend, a database of government spending records, shows that the MTA made two purchases in 2021 for “AWAAIT Video Analytics Fare Evasion Software” totaling $35,335. Data for 2022 was not included in the report.
Kahn said the use of AI to track fare evasion illustrates misguided priorities.
“We continue to monitor the criminal liability that is fraught with fare evasion, although this does not harm anyone,” he said.
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Artificial intelligence monitors those who do not pay for the New York subway
Software that uses artificial intelligence to detect fare evaders has been quietly deployed at some New York City subway stations, according to NBC News.
The system, which has not been previously named by the city and the transit authority, uses third-party software that its creator has touted as a way to engage law enforcement to crack down on fare evasion.
The system was in use at seven subway stations in May, according to a report posted online by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees New York’s public transportation. According to the report, the MTA expects the system to expand by “about two dozen more stations by the end of the year, with more to follow.” Among other things, the MTA is said to have lost $690 million due to fare evasion in 2022.
Joana Flores, spokeswoman for the MTA, said the AI system does not provide the NYPD with the data of people who do not pay subway fares. But she declined to comment on whether that policy might change over time. Police officials also declined to comment.
Tim Minton, director of public relations for the MTA, said the system tracks offenders to figure out how much money the metro is losing on such passengers.
“We use it mainly as a counting tool,” Minton explained. “The goal is to determine how many people evade fares and how they do it.”
On the subject: MTA to make five bus routes free in New York: list
Minton said the videos are stored on the MTA’s servers “for a limited period of time.” Last year, New York Governor Kathy Hokul’s office announced that more than 10,000 surveillance cameras were installed in the city’s transportation systems.
Violation of the right to privacy
Some privacy advocates oppose this kind of innovation.
“This is the moment when movement around the city is under control like never before,” said Albert Fox Kahn, director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, which advocates for privacy rights in New York City.
“We have already seen automatic license plate readers. We saw the collection of data on the history of Uber and Lyft. Tens of thousands of cameras available to the police, he noted. “Therefore, New York is increasingly becoming a city where there is no way to move privately.”
The software was created by the Spanish company AWAAIT, Flores confirmed. AWAAIT declined to comment.
A promotional video for AWAAIT’s fare evasion detection software shows a scheme in which the AWAAIT system was originally used to scan passengers passing through the subway system and send photos of people it believed were fare evaders to the smartphones of nearby station employees. MTA assurances that the software would not be used to assist law enforcement failed to convince civil rights advocates, who were already alarmed by previous attempts to crack down on fare evasion.
In 2019, City Police officers were directed to fine, rather than detain, most traffic offenders if they provided identification and were screened through the NYPD Counterterrorism Unit’s surveillance system.
Since last year, the number of police officers at metro stations has increased and the number of arrests has also increased. The police department arrested blacks and Hispanics for fare evasion much more often than other races, and this prompted accusations of racism.
On the subject: New York wants to raise subway fares: citizens against
Vulnerable categories
Molly Griffard, a staff lawyer for the Social Justice Legal Aid Society, says fare evaders are mostly the poor. Many people face unpleasant consequences, such as fines or legal problems, because they cannot afford to pay their fares. This exacerbates financial hardship for people who are already in a difficult situation.
An edited MTA contract for the AI system dated July 2022, which Kahn acquired under the Freedom of Information Act and shared with NBC News, shows the system was first tested in New York in 2020, with more stations added in 2021.
GovSpend, a database of government spending records, shows that the MTA made two purchases in 2021 for “AWAAIT Video Analytics Fare Evasion Software” totaling $35,335. Data for 2022 was not included in the report.
Kahn said the use of AI to track fare evasion illustrates misguided priorities.
“We continue to monitor the criminal liability that is fraught with fare evasion, although this does not harm anyone,” he said.
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