Nomination
nypd-surveillance.amnesty.org
Video: vimeo.com/677322119
Inside the NYPD’s Surveillance Machine is an interactive data visualization revealing the shocking reach of facial recognition technology in New York. The experience allows users to plot a walking route through New York City and discover how much of this route might be exposed to surveillance through facial recognition.
Amnesty International reached out to Superposition to visualize their research findings through an experience that details exposure to invasive FRT technology. Facial recognition technologies (FRT) violate the right to privacy, and threaten the rights to freedom of assembly, equality and non-discrimination. The experience intended to convey the urgency of Amnesty’s disturbing research findings and make these findings relatable to any user, and urge them to take action.
The data is presented to users as it exists in their own environment, without the experience becoming overwhelming. Different report cards allow the user to form an opinion on the topic, after which users are encouraged to send a letter of protest to their council member or sign a global petition. The experience helps spread awareness of the issue and advance Amnesty’s goal of achieving a ban.
Credits
Research: Amnesty International (Sophie Dyer, Matt Mahmoudi)
Design: Amnesty International (Sophie Dyer), Superposition (Bram Bogaerts, Casper Schipper, Robin Smits)
Development: Superposition (Bram Bogaerts, Casper Schipper, Robin Smits)
Amnesty International would like to thank the more than 7,000 digital volunteers from around the world who analyzed every intersection in New York City to find and categorize surveillance cameras and gave invaluable feedback and peer-to-peer support. Without them this project would not have been possible.
Inside the NYPD’s Surveillance Machine was commissioned and paid for by Amnesty International, an international nongovernmental organization (NGO) that gets the majority of its income from individual donations.
Biography
Amnesty International (INT) campaigns to end abuses of human rights. In our work to expose and end technology-augmented human rights abuses, we collaborate with geographers, data scientists, artists, and technologists. Our Ban the Scan campaign advocates for an end to rampant AI-driven mass and discriminatory surveillance, globally.
Superposition (NL) is a design studio that merges art, technology, and design to transform complex concepts into tangible and human experiences. Our work encompasses a diverse range of mediums that invite the audience to actively participate in the narrative we create.