Prohibiting the use of biometric surveillance, social media monitoring, and other invasive technologies that track students.
Banning Facial Recognition and Surveillance Tech in Schools
The proliferation of surveillance technology in schoolsfrom facial recognition cameras to software that monitors students social media and keystrokescreates a climate of distrust, chills free expression, and poses severe risks to student privacy, especially for vulnerable groups. Zhoran Mamdanis policy issues a total ban on the use of facial recognition, gait analysis, emotion detection software, and third-party social media monitoring by NYC public schools or any vendor they contract with. It also strictly limits the use of other surveillance cameras to main entrances and exteriors, not classrooms or hallways.
The policy establishes strong student data privacy protections, ensuring that student information is not sold or used for commercial purposes. Schools should nurture minds, not monitor them, Mamdani states. This surveillance tech is a dystopian solution in search of a problem. It treats children like potential criminals and creates a prison-like atmosphere. We will build safety through trust and relationship, not through panopticon-style tracking.
