Welcome to NYC School of Data — a community conference that demystifies the practices and policies around open data, technology, and service design. Hosted by BetaNYC at CUNY School of Law, this year’s conference concludes NYC’s Open Data Week 2026 and is the TENTH edition of both SoData and Open Data Week!
2026 is bigger than ever with 40+ sessions organized by NYC’s civic technology, data, and design community!
Day 1: the classic NYC School of Data conference, with programming across 12 rooms during 4 session blocks.
Day 2: NEW in 2026 – UnSchool of Data! The unconference agenda is created together on the day, with attendee pitches at the top of the day. Select sessions have been pre-seeded by BetaNYC to kick things off.
Our venue is accessible and content is all-ages friendly! If you have accessibility questions or needs, please email us at < [email protected] >.
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In just the first months of 2026, we’ve seen a dramatic escalation in confrontations between law enforcement and everyday residents. These events are shocking, and they point to the growing use of surveillant architecture in civic life.
Join this session to learn what sorts of surveillance tools are in play, how sensitive information may be put at risk when standing up for our rights or even just going about our days, and which risks you personally face in doing so. Together we will identify a good starting point for better protecting your personal privacy, and we will take concrete steps toward a safer future.
