NYCLU on AI Gun Scanner Deployment in NYC Subways

NEW YORK CITY — Mayor Adams and the NYPD today announced the June deployment of AI-equipped scanners to detect guns in the subway system. In response, New York Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Donna Lieberman issued the following statement: 

“The Mayor likened today’s subway scanner announcement to the moon landing, but more accurately he’s jumping the shark. Gun violence is a critical safety and public health concern, but so-called gun detector technology has a history of delivering flawed and unusable results. Complicated questions abound about how these devices would function, what rights to privacy they may violate, what data gets stored and how it is protected, and which New Yorkers these would target.

“We should be wary of any flashy new technology that over-promises while raising novel privacy concerns. And New Yorkers must ask what preventative and supportive initiatives, like housing, mental health, and employment services could be funded with this expense.”