New York State
Policy
A bill to halt facial recognition tech in schools
Since Lockport City School District officials announced plans to test a facial recognition system in its schools last week, civil rights advocates have been raising alarms about the technology’s privacy and security risks.
New York City
Policy
Airbnb’s New York City legal battles
How much data Airbnb and its peers will be made to share is still up in the air, but there are a few key legal battles to watch as New York attempts to find that answer. City & State broke down the primary conflicts over data sharing that exist between the city and Airbnb and the arguments on each side.
New York State
Politics
De Blasio’s donors sit on the fence and paid vacation gets a boost
Marijuana bill amended, de Blasio’s donors sit on the fence and paid vacation gets a boost, and more in this week's political news roundup.
New York State
Policy
School facial recognition gets pushback from state
Not long after New York’s Lockport City School District announced plans to begin testing its facial recognition system on students and faculty next week, the New York State Education Department released a statement calling on the school district to delay its implementation on students.
New York City
Policy
The subway’s new contactless payment system begins slow rollout Friday
The OMNY system – short for “One Metro New York” – will allow riders to hold a phone or contactless card up to an electronic reader to pay with the help of a technology called “near-field communication,” rather than swiping a MetroCard. The One Metro New York system will allow riders use a phone or contactless card, rather than swipe a MetroCard.
New York City
Policy
De Blasio weighs in on rumored Amazon site
A New York Post report over the weekend suggested that internet retail and cloud computing giant Amazon was looking at planting roots on Manhattan’s West Side has reignited the debate over the city’s loss of a new Amazon headquarters earlier this year.
New York City
Policy
E-bike pilot revs up for summer
Lime began adding 200 new pedal-assist dockless bikes to its current fleet in the Rockaways over Memorial Day Weekend.
New York City
Policy
New York City’s unglamorous modernization efforts
At a panel discussion during City & State’s Digital New York Summit on Thursday, experts from the private and public sector weighed in on how to make New York City more tech-friendly.
New York State
Policy
New York’s data security challenge
At a panel discussion during City & State’s Digital New York Summit on Thursday, experts from both the public and private sector weighed in on how New York can do a better job of guarding against future data security threats, and whether legislation like the SHIELD Act could help in that effort.
New York City
Policy
HQ2 still dominating economic development conversation
The latest proposal inspired by the HQ2 debacle would focus on increased oversight of New York’s economic development process.
New York City
Policy
How New York could respond to the taxi medallion lending crisis
Since Sunday, when the New York Times investigation into predatory lending practices for taxi medallions was published, calls for action sprang forth from elected officials, but the proposals wouldn’t necessarily help cabbies who already lost everything.
New York City
Policy
New York City’s fight for Airbnb user data
In January, Airbnb successfully fought off the implementation of a law that would have required short-term rental companies to disclose to the city details about their hosts — but New York City officials haven't given up on getting their users' data.
New York State
Policy
Schumer raises national security concerns over possible MTA deal
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called this weekend for the Commerce Department to conduct a “top-to-bottom” review of a Chinese rail technology company aiming to develop new subway cars for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
New York State
Policy
New York’s computer-monitoring bid to stop over-billing
Last month, state Sen. Diane Savino introduced a bill that would require certain state contractors to use software to track and verify hours worked on a computer, but some have raised concerns about risks to privacy and security this software could pose.
New York State
Policy
Vanel introduces data disclosure bill
Assemblyman Clyde Vanel introduced the New York data protection act last week, which would allow individuals to request and receive access to personal information collected by government agencies and contractors, as well as related information like the sources of their personal data and the purpose for which it was collected.
New York City
Politics
Louis joins growing Haitian-American population in politics
Farah Louis is just the latest in a string of Haitian-Americans to win elected office in New York, as Haitian-American political power spreads across the state.
New York City
Policy
Ride-hail still lags on accessibility
New York Lawyers for the Public Interest suggests various app-based ride-hail companies operating in New York aren’t doing much to make things accessible.
New York City
Policy
The uncertain future of Amazon HQ2-inspired bills
Lawmakers infuriated by Amazon’s HQ2 announcement want to overhaul the state’s economic development policies. But the cancelling of HQ2 doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the these bills.
New York City
Policy
Vanel pushes smart contracts bill
New York Assemblyman Clyde Vanel joined government officials and industry experts on Wednesday to talk about use cases for blockchain.
New York State
Personality