Elected officials and privacy advocates demand that MSG Entertainment end the use of facial recognition technology on fans

NEW YORK Today, after Madison Square Garden (MSG) Entertainment kicked out a fourth person using facial recognition, elected officials and privacy advocates rallied outside MSG to demand that the company immediately stop using facial recognition. inappropriate technology on the fans.

The coalition said sites should not have the power to weaponize facial recognition to discriminate against customers and steal their personal information. They believe that the practice, unlike MSG Claimshas nothing to do with public safety and is instead used to chill free speech, as well as violate privacy.

Attendees included State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, State Senator Liz Krueger, Senator Brian Kavanagh, Senator Kristen Gonzalez, Assemblyman Tony Simone, Assemblyman Alex Bores, Council Member Erik Bottcher, Albert Fox Cahn – Founder and Executive Director, Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP) and the Policing and Social Justice Project.

There is absolutely no security reason to expel a young mother from accompanying her daughters’ Boy Scout troop field trip to the Rockettes, State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal said. MSG Entertainment uses facial recognition systems to automate discrimination, violate individual privacy and chill any criticism of the company. This sets a dangerous precedent for allowing MSG Entertainment to retain such power, and we demand that they immediately stop using this highly flawed technology.

The coalition called on MSG Entertainment to create and adhere to a written policy establishing guidelines for the permanent destruction of biometric data when the original purpose of collecting such data has been met. The elected officials present and Congressman Jerry Nadler wrote a letter to James Dolan, CEO of MSG Entertainment, echoing this request.

They noted that MSG Entertainment receives a NYS tax abatement for Madison Square Garden worth approximately $43 million per year, a special NYC permit (expiring this year), and numerous licenses from the New York State Liquor Authority. As a public accommodation, MSG Entertainment has a legal obligation to New Yorkers and the general public to protect them from discrimination and to stop harassing them.

“If Madison Square Garden can use biometric technology to deny an attorney access to its premises, what recourse is there for the average New Yorker? I am alarmed at the lack of oversight regulating the use of biometric technologies by private and public entities in the As emerging technologies continue to govern our daily lives, it is high time for the state to step in and enact regulations to protect our right to privacy and against discrimination” , said Senator Kristen GonzalezChairman of the Senate Internet and Technology Committee.

“MSG Entertainment’s use of facial recognition technology to ban members of the public, not for security reasons, but as perceived legal adversaries, is incredibly disturbing,” said Assemblyman Tony Simone. “Madison Square Garden operates under a special permit from the City of New York, with licenses from the State Liquor Authority and benefits from a significant state tax abatement. Any policy prohibiting members of the public for reasons other than security must cease immediately.”

Who will take the biggest companies in the country to court if they can retaliate in this way? said the executive director of the surveillance technology monitoring project, Albert Fox Cahn. While MSG can do this to lawyers suing the company, they can also target employees and customers suing the company for breaking the law. It’s terrifying to think that other companies might follow suit, and that every time you exercise your rights in court, it will mean being banned from public life. If New Yorkers can be banned from a Rangers game, they can be banned from the grocery store or the drug store. These technologies are ripe for abuse, and it’s high time the city and state banned them. Giving corporations, the wealthy, and the government the ability to track almost anyone at any time is a recipe for disaster.