NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) -- The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) has filed a lawsuit against the New York State Department of Corrections regarding its use of facial recognition technology.
NYCLU filed the lawsuit June 30 in New York County Supreme Court against the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS), along with Anthony J. Annucci, the acting commissioner of the department.
According to the complaint, NYCLU is seeking to vindicate the public’s right to know how the department employs facial recognition technology.
The NYCLU is alleging that the technology allows DOCCS to misidentify visitors and deny them their visitation.
NYCLU is also alleging that DOCCS is denying the state’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), which expresses New York’s strong commitment to open government and public accountability and imposes a broad standard of disclosure upon the state, the city and its agencies.
The NYCLU is seeking that the DOCCS comply with the FOIL policy to provide access to its records.
Beth Haroules and Lisa J. Laplace, with the NYCLU Foundation, are providing counsel.