PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Cynthia Conti-Cook, Director of Research and Policy at Surveillance Resistance Lab, on MyCity Portal Concerns
2:14:53
·
3 min
Cynthia Conti-Cook from the Surveillance Resistance Lab expresses strong concerns about the MyCity portal, urging the city council to stop, question, and assess its implementation. She highlights issues of transparency, privacy, and potential misuse of data, particularly in relation to law enforcement and vulnerable communities.
- Calls for halting MyCity due to lack of public oversight and potential risks to marginalized communities
- Criticizes the involvement of law enforcement and corporate interests in the portal's development
- Raises concerns about recent changes to procurement rules for "demonstration projects" and their impact on accountability
Cynthia Conti-Cook
2:14:53
Thank you to your Gutierrez and to the members of the tech committee for holding this critical hearing.
2:14:58
My name is Cynthia Conti Cook, and I'm the director of research and policy at the surveillance resistance lab.
2:15:05
We've been researching my city and speaking with a variety of stakeholders over the past year.
2:15:11
We the city council to stop question and assess the costs and serious risks associated with my city and prevent this administration from undermining local governance by fostering increasingly opaque procurement processes in the name of pro industry innovation and getting stuff done.
2:15:30
We need to stop my city because thus far its purpose and design have been decided behind closed doors, by cops and corporate tech, and now also because of critical questions about potential corruption.
2:15:42
We need to question the intent of my city because this highly consequential digital infrastructure has been built alongside moves to embed NYPD officials throughout city agencies regardless of data sharing and regardless of data sharing agreements.
2:15:56
In this impact city government far beyond this administration.
2:16:02
We need to assess the potential consequential costs and harm my city may inflict on low income, immigrant, criminalized, New Yorkers, communities of color, and anyone receiving public benefits, mental health or substance addiction services through city agencies, and how my city will enable digital stop and frisk and create an inescapable digital cop city.
2:16:23
My city must be stopped.
2:16:25
It is a clear example of what happens when cops and corporations occupy central decision making roles and are able to design durable infrastructure without public oversight.
2:16:36
Just last week, this administration moved to make demonstration project procurement even less transparent and accountable to the public.
2:16:44
The comptroller's representative and a former chief procurement officer both opposed it.
2:16:49
This is why my my city must be questioned.
2:16:51
It is being built behind a blue wall of silence by corporate contractors.
2:16:55
We must question how law enforcement will collect, share, and use the MyCiti portal because we know that the corporate vendors contracted to do so will not stop or question them.
2:17:06
For decades, the priorities, personnel, and power of the NYPD has transformed our city government.
2:17:12
And while the NYPD's mission creep has been growing for decades, never before has an administration of this city, so aggressively sought to expand the power of police even farther into all aspects of city government.
2:17:24
We question whether this administration has held the boundaries between corporations, police, and civilian agencies, and their data.
2:17:31
This is why my city must also be assessed.
2:17:34
Are the unknown climbing costs of my city included in the $225,000,000 price tag for COP CITY?
2:17:40
What are the costs to our digital dignity, tax dollars, and democracy of building a digital COP CITY?
2:17:46
If we want to use digital tools to enhance benefits access to New Yorkers?
2:17:51
How can we do that while still protecting their identifying information from police and data brokers, especially when NYPD is embedding their officials throughout city agencies, and corporations are digging their claws.
2:18:04
Into infrastructure through demonstration projects.
