New AI Surveillance Software Secretly Deployed in NYC Subway Stations to Combat Fare Evasion

In some New York City subway stations, surveillance software that uses artificial intelligence to detect people evading fares has been quietly deployed.

Although the city and the Transit Authority have yet to officially recognize the system by name, third-party software is used that promises to help law enforcement combat fare evasion.

As of May, the system was in use at seven subway stations, according to a report posted online by the Metropolitan Transit Authority, which oversees public transportation in New York City.

It is anticipated that by the end of this year, the system will expand to “approximately two dozen more stations, with more to come,” according to the report. The MTA was also found to have lost $690 million from fare evasion in 2022.

The MTA, through its spokeswoman Joana Flores, told local media that the artificial intelligence system does not notify the New York police about fare evaders, but has not commented on whether that policy could change.

AI measures the volume of losses due to tariff evasion

Tim Minton, the MTA’s director of communications, explained that the system tracks fare evasion to determine how much money is not being collected on the subway.

Videos are stored on MTA servers for a limited period of time. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office announced last year that the city’s transit systems had more than 10,000 surveillance cameras.

The use of this software adds to what some privacy advocates see as a growing surveillance apparatus developing in New York City.

The software used was created by the Spanish company AWAAIT, confirmed MTA spokeswoman Joana Flores.

In the past, efforts to combat fee evasion have already been the subject of controversy, and the disproportionate impact of these measures on the most vulnerable communities has been questioned.

Social rights advocates emphasized that these actions end up affecting low-income people the most, and highlighted the need to focus on improving the accessibility and availability of public services.

MTA contracts show that the AI ​​system was first tested in New York in 2020, with more stations added in 2021. The MTA made two purchases in 2021 of “AWAAIT Artificial Intelligence Fare Avoidance Software” totaling $35,335.

2023-07-20 20:40:29
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