Amnesty International and the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP) have released a trove of over 2,700 documents from the New York Police Department (NYPD), obtained following a protracted five-year legal battle. According to the organizations, the documents showcase a troubling pattern of extensive and discriminatory surveillance practices by the NYPD, particularly involving the misuse of facial recognition technology (FRT). These records, disclosed by a court order in 2022, reveal that the NYPD deployed FRT against individuals based on superficial characteristics such as language and clothing, raising serious concerns about racial and cultural profiling.
The documents detail incidents where individuals were flagged as “suspicious” for merely speaking a foreign language or wearing culturally distinctive attire. Amnesty International and STOP argue that these incidents demonstrate how racial and cultural profiling often formed the basis for surveillance queries, highlighting systemic issues within the department’s surveillance operations. The release of these documents comes amid growing scrutiny over the use of FRT, not only by law enforcement agencies but also by government bodies worldwide.
The records also shed light on the NYPD’s financial commitments towards facial recognition technology, with more than $5 million spent between 2019 and 2020, alongside continued annual investments. Notably, the department ceased tracking the accuracy of the technology in 2015, citing unacceptably high error rates, yet continued its deployment. One particularly concerning revelation shows a collaboration with the US Marshals Service to use a vendor for surveilling a private social media account, potentially contravening NYPD policy.
In addition to concerns about racial profiling, the documents illustrate the use of FRT to monitor political expression. Instances include the monitoring of social media posts referencing Times Square on New Year’s Eve, and queries related to graffiti protesting the police. In one case, FRT was employed to identify artists based solely on the content of a music video, raising alarms about the invasion of privacy and freedom of expression.
Amnesty International and STOP are urging New York City lawmakers to legislate against government use of facial recognition technology, emphasizing the urgency with two proposals already gaining significant support in the city council. They also call for the NYPD and municipal authorities to immediately suspend use of the technology, in light of its chilling effect on free expression and peaceful assembly, especially impacting black and brown communities. This stance echoes recent recommendations by the UN, which cautioned in June 2025 that artificial intelligence technologies like FRT must adhere to international human rights standards and be subject to strict regulatory frameworks.
The NYPD documents provide a revealing snapshot of the pervasive surveillance culture, warranting urgent legislative and policy responses to safeguard civil liberties and prevent future abuses.