How the MTA is Tracking Students

We’re often told that certain things are “free”—free resources, free discounts, free services. But as the saying goes, the only free cheese is in a mousetrap (thank you for the quote, Professor Moglen). There’s always a catch, and more often than not, that catch is surveillance.

I recently came across an article about NYC students being tracked through their subsidized metro cards (linked here for anyone interested). At first glance, these cards seem like a great deal: free daily rides for students, valid year-round. But what many parents didn’t realize was that the MTA and the education system were quietly monitoring students’ travel patterns, then deactivating cards that didn’t align with expected routes.

Student metrocards, provided by NYC public schools, grant students four free rides each day, including weekends and summers. To receive one, a student must be enrolled in a participating school, and the card is linked to their school location. This year, parents began noticing their children’s metro cards were being deactivated without warning. When they questioned it, schools explained that the MTA’s system automatically flags cards if they aren’t used near a student’s home or school, assuming potential misuse. While the city justifies this as a fraud prevention measure, the reality is that students are being tracked—without their awareness or consent.

Nothing in this world is truly free, whether it’s subsidized metro cards, websites offering discount codes in exchange for personal data, or “free” services that quietly collect our information. These systems trade privacy for convenience, resources, or money. And the worst part? They know exactly who depends on these benefits the most—and they exploit that.

But this issue also exposes a deeper, often-overlooked contradiction. We constantly hear about the need to protect children—and don’t get me wrong, we absolutely should. But why is our concern for privacy constrained only to those under 18? Why do we only sound the alarm when surveillance affects kids? When our IDs are scanned to enter campus, when MTA taps track our movements, when Alexa listens to our conversations—it’s brushed off as the cost of modern life. But the children being monitored today will someday grow up. And the moment they turn 18, society throws them to the wolves.

If we truly believe in protection, then privacy shouldn’t just be a fight for children—it should be a fight for everyone.

-- ZoieGeronimi - 06 Mar 2025

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