In the final Surveillance And The City episode of the season, hosts Albert Fox Cahn, Liz O'Sullivan, and Ali Winston  do a deep dive into all of the surveillance technologies that have emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. While non-Western (especially East Asian) countries have received the harshest criticism for invasive and authoritarian measures to contain the virus, how have government responses in the U.K. and here in the U.S., for instance, expanded surveillance in the name of public health? To what extent do apps, wearables, vaccine passports, and other surveillance tech measures even actually work in  stopping the spread of COVID-19? We also add to the chorus of critiques against Governor Cuomo, specifically highlighting his call for "Excelsior Pass" vaccine passports that will ultimately exacerbate medical segregation in New York. To comment, ask questions, or suggest show topics please email:pod@stopspying.orgFollow us on Twitter and Instagram: @spy_podHere's what the Spy Pod hosts are reading this week:Agency, by William Gibson Brave New World, by Aldous HuxleyThe Dispossessed, Ursula K. Le GuinThe Expanse (Series), by James S.A. Corey                

Surveillance and the City

COVID-19 Surveillance And The City

This week on Surveillance And The City, hosts Albert Fox Cahn, Liz O'Sullivan, and Ali Winston discuss NYPD's so-called "gang database" and its systematic, unconstitutional criminalization of New Yorkers of color. Driven by social media monitoring and other surveillance technology software, NYPD's "gang database" is often described as a new digital form of stop-and-frisk policing, exploiting a highly broad definition of "gang" to justify surveillance of (primarily) Black and Latinx neighborhoods. What criteria are used in identifying alleged gang members? What's the historical context of "gang databases," and how are they connected to immigration enforcement and U.S. foreign policy? We also cover the push in local NYC politics to ban the database, as well as use of similar gang surveillance tactics in other cities around the country. To comment, ask questions, or suggest show topics please email:pod@stopspying.orgFollow us on Twitter and Instagram: @spy_podThis is what the Spy Pod Hosts are Reading and Watching this week:CARLOS, directed by Olivier AssayasThe Golden Compass, by Philip PullmanHitler in Los Angeles: How Jews Foiled Nazi Plots Against Hollywood and America, by Steven J. RossThe Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, by Philip K. Dick

“Gangs” of New York Police Department Data

This week on Surveillance And The City, hosts Albert Fox Cahn, Rashida Richardson, and Liz O'Sullivan discuss NYPD's use of a robotic dog in Brooklyn and the Bronx. Robotics design company, Boston Dynamics, began selling "Spot" back in June mainly to utility, energy, and construction companies, as well as healthcare workers, to reach spaces deemed too dangerous for humans. What are the implications of the robotic dog's purchase and (mis)use by NYPD? What does this mean in terms of the surveillance of Black and Brown New Yorkers? We then discuss recent predictive policing tech rebranding attempts by "Geolitica" (FKA PredPol) and other companies, as well as the release of a new report by the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence calling for greater use of AI by the Department of Defense. To comment, ask questions, or suggest show topics please email:pod@stopspying.orgFollow us on Twitter and Instagram @spy_podSuggested reading and listening in this episode:Ernest Cline's Ready Player Two"Dirty Data, Bad Predictions," by Rashida Richardson, Jason M. Schultz, and Kate CrawfordHelp, by Duval TimothyUrsula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed  

All Dogs May Go to Heaven, but Robotic Spy Dogs Can Go Str8 to Hell

This week on Surveillance And The City, we discuss the history of FBI surveillance under COINTELPRO (the Counterintelligence Program) and its legacies in "counterterrorism" and the surveillance of anti-racist movements today. How did anticommunist hysteria during the 1950s expand to include the surveillance and incarceration of Civil Rights leaders during the 1960s and 1970s, namely those part of the Black Panther Party (BPP)? What connections can we draw between COINTELPRO and the contemporary surveillance of Muslim Americans after 9/11 and so-called "Black identity extremists" throughout the Black Lives Matter movement? We then share our thoughts on Shaka King's stunning new film, Judas and the Black Messiah, which invites  exploration of these themes in depicting the life of BPP Illinois chapter chairman, Fred Hampton.To comment, ask questions, or suggest show topics please email:pod@stopspying.orgSuggested reading, listening, and watching in this episode:Joshua Yaffa's The Sputnik V Vaccine and Russia’s Race to Immunity (The New Yorker)Race, Racism, and the Liberal Arts: A Conversation with Katherine McKittrick and Nick Mitchell (Aydelotte Foundation) Fatih Akin's The Edge of Heaven

Judas works for COINTELPRO: How the FBI infiltrated the Black Panthers

This week on Surveillance And The City, we briefly chat about Facebook's tech war with Australia before diving deep into New York’s growing effort to ban facial recognition. How close are we to a historic win, who’s standing in the way, and how can you help? Hosts Albert Fox Cahn, Liz O'Sullivan, and Ali Winston unpack the issues. To find out more about the effort to ban facial recognition in NYC or "Ban the Scan," go to:https://www.stopspying.org/ban-the-scanTo comment, ask questions, or suggest show topics please email:pod@stopspying.orgSuggested reading in this episode:Neil Gaiman's Smoke & Mirrors  Zepher Teachout's Break 'Em Up: Recovering Our Freedom from Big Ag, Big Tech, and Big MoneyInside the Making of Facebook’s Supreme Court 

NYC: The City Whose Surveillance Never Sleeps

This week on Surveillance and the City: will Minneapolis be the latest city to ban facial recognition? Then, we take a deep dive into the latest reporting on how algorithmic decision making and tech giants are making even more of a mess of the vaccine roll-out. I’m your host, Albert Fox Cahn. With me today is journalist Ali Winston. For a bit of reading on today's subject we looked at Where do Vaccine Doses Go, and Who Gets Them? The Algorithms Decide by Natasha Singer.  

Does Big Tech Hurt Our Vaccine Rollout?

This week on Surveillance and the City, we look at the long-awaited release of the POST Act, last year’s groundbreaking NYPD surveillance oversight law. Will this be a new day for law enforcement transparency, or just the latest NYPD effort to ignore the law. Then, we’re joined by The Economist’s US Digital editor, Jon Fasman, for a dive into his new book: We See It All: Liberty and Justice in an Age of Perpetual Surveillance. On Stranger Than Science Fiction we all talk about a piece of popular culture that caught our attention this week. Your hosts this week are: Albert Fox Cahn of S.T.O.P., AI activist Liz O’Sullivan, and Professor Rashida Richardson. 

The POST Act Always Rings Twice

This week on Surveillance and the City, we look at the ominous threat of expanded “domestic terrorism” laws in the aftermath of this month’s attack on the Capitol. Will lawmakers learn from the mistakes of the USA PATRIOT Act and other rushed legislation, or are we about the repeat the same mistake all over again? Albert Fox Cahn, AI activist Liz O’Sullivan and journalist Ali Winston unpack the dense history of domestic terrorism, violent extremism, and white paramilitarism, as well as the issues with the law enforcement  combating it. Then for 'Stranger Than Science Fiction' we chat about the movies, books, and TV shows that  inspire  and terrify us, from 1940s Science Fiction  stories to 1990s TV to in depth docu-series. If you are interested in some background reading on the subject we have put together a few links for you to  start with. Danger of Expanded Domestic Terrorism Powers in the aftermath of the Capitol By Diala Shamas and Tarek Z. Ismail.  Washington PostWe Should Be Very Worried About Joe Biden’s “Domestic Terrorism” Bill  By Luke Savage. Jacobin MagazineThe Capitol Attack Doesn’t Justify Expanding Surveillance By Albert Fox Cahn. WiredDon’t Let Cops Use the Insurrection to Justify Surveillance   By Albert Fox Cahn &Evan Selinger. The Daily BeastWe’ve Had a White Supremacist Coup Before. History Buried It.  By Edwin Rios. MotherJonesGlobal Right-Wing Extremism Networks Are Growing. The U.S. Is Just Now Catching Up. By Sebastian Rotella. ProPublica 

Domestic Terrorism and Dangerous Law

This week on Surveillance and the City, we start by going through incoming President Biden's nominations and appointments, specifically focusing on the Office of Science and Technology, and attempting to divine what we can expect from the new administration.  Next, we examine the consequences of Microsoft's entry into the law enforcement and prison 'markets', Iron Cage, profiled in this piece by Michael Kwet in Al Jazeera.  For 'Stranger Than Science Fiction', we revisit 1981's 'Escape From New York'. 

Biden's Picks, and a Microsoft Prison System

This week on Surveillance and the City, we look at the smoldering wreckage of last week’s attack on the capitol, as police boosters use the attack as an excuse to further-expand surveillance.Then we take a hard look at Leticia James and the NYPD oversight inquiry. Finally, for Stranger Than Science Fiction, we examine 'It Can't Happen Here,' the 1935 novel by Sinclair Lewis, a dystopia in which fascism is able to prevail in America.

It Can't Happen Here... Or Can It?

In light of yesterday’s attack on the US Capitol, we’ve decided to throw out the usual format and focus our show on what we just witnessed. This is one of the most consequential days in recent American history, and we’re here to ask: what the hell just happened? From law enforcement culpability (and endorsement) to the role of social media,  we delve into the factors that created our new political normal. Next week, we’ll be back with the NYPD shenanigans and dystopian tech you know and love.

A Capitol Affair

On this episode, Albert, Liz, and Ali talk about the best and worst things that happened in the world of privacy, data, and surveillance tech in 2020. The GoodPOST Act, Santa Cruz  banning predictive policing, Additional Facial recognition bans (NY Schools, Boston, Etc.), Bipartisan Congressional attention to facial recognition, Anti-trust suits against Google & FB, Widespread adoption of Signal during BLM demos, Additional BIPA litigation including against Clearview AI, and the Chicago Geofence warrant decisionThe BadClearview story broke in January and revelations of alt right connection, NYPD's robotic dog, Revelations about Baltimore surveillance planes, CBP drone over BLM protests, Solarwinds, White house AI regulation that doesn't do anything and requires "economic impact statements", Elon Musk debuts Neuralink that can write to brains.And for 'Stranger than Science Fiction,' we talk about the strange series called 'Years and Years,' set just after Trump's fictionalized second term. 

The Best and Worst of 2020

Part 1: Solar Winds Hack Part 2: Autonomous Drones Part 3: Stranger than Science Fiction - Terminator 3 Credits:Our Production team is: Producers Alex Brook Lynn of Racket Media and Fabian Rogers of STOPSound Engineering by Adam Chimera Research Assistant: Carrie MaGee  Video production support from Alexia Hall

Drones & A Hack Attack

Part 1: NYPD statistics and Stop, Question, and Frisk  Part 2: The Lockport NY School Facial Recognition Part 3: Stranger than Science Fiction: Steven Spielberg's Minority Report OUTROAs a reminder, make sure to share our episode with your friends and leave a rating on your podcatcher of choice.We are brought to you by STOP, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project and The Engelberg Center on Innovation Law and Policy at NYU Law. This podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike 4.0 International License.Our Production team is: Producers Alex Brook Lynn of Racket Media and Fabian Rogers of STOPSound Engineering by Adam Chimera Research Assistant: Carrie MaGee  Video production support from Alexia Hall Additional Reference Materials:Stefanie Coyle & Rashida Richardson's report on Lockport - https://ainowinstitute.org/regulatingbiometrics-coyle-richardson.pdfAli Winston's report on private donors funding the cops - https://www.propublica.org/article/private-donors-supply-spy-gear-to-cops

Stop, Frisk, & Many Risks

Part 1: Biden’s appointment of Pro-tech/surveillance cabinet members  Part 2: The recent French proposal for a broader domestic security law Part 3: Stranger Than Science Fiction - Sidney Lumet's 'Network' Credits:Our Production team is: Producers Alex Brook Lynn of Racket Media and Fabian Rogers of STOPSound Engineering by Adam ChimeraResearch Assistant: Carrie MageeVideo production support from Alexia Hall

Biden's Big Tech Cabinet

In each episode, we dig into the brave new world of surveillance, law enforcement, and privacy, from killer robot police to racist algorithms. Join the gang (Albert Fox Cahn, Liz O'Sullivan, and Ali Winston) as they talk about all the horrifying ways we are being watched, and who's doing the watching.

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Surveillance and the City

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