That Bridge Is Watching You

The license-plate cameras at some river crossings in New York City aren't just keeping track of how much you owe in tolls. They're trying to decipher your identity.

Earlier this year, the MTA began testing facial recognition technology at the RFK Bridge, the Queens-Midtown Tunnel and the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel (formerly the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel), and soon it will go live on the Throgs Neck and Whitestone Bridges.

As it's just a pilot program so far, it is hard to say exactly what purpose the technology will serve, but already, civil libertarians are facing off against it.

“Facial-recognition software is notoriously inaccurate when it comes to identifying people of color, women and children, leading to the possibility of people being mistakenly arrested or erroneously monitored,” said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union.

At a press conference Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo reiterated his support for the software, saying facial recognition will help catch terrorists going in and out of the city, and arguing the technology should be in place at every bridge, tunnel and airport. He also predicted a future where facial recognition would work so well it identifies a criminal without needing to see their whole face.

“They're experimenting with technology that will identify someone by just the ear believe it or not,” Cuomo said.

Currently, however, MTA Spokesman Jon Weinstein said the program is still in an early phase.

“No data whatsoever is being shared with law enforcement or anyone outside of the people involved with the pilot," he said. "Our priority is balancing public safety with civil liberties — which are equally paramount."

At an MTA board meeting Wednesday, MTA Chairman Joe Lhota downplayed the national security aspects of facial recognition technology; he said the MTA wanted to use the technology to root out toll dodgers.

“People get a notice in the mail saying they went through the toll and they say no they didn’t," Lhota said. "With this technology, we can say, 'Here’s a picture of you.' It’s just a way for us to make sure we get the revenues necessary.”