Demonstrators gathered outside Madison Square Garden on Aug. 14 to demand a ban on the venue\u2019s use of facial recognition technology. They argued the surveillance tool violates customers\u2019 privacy and opens the door to discrimination and abuse.<\/p>\n
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The rally was organized in part by the digital rights group Fight for the Future. It targeted owner of the Garden James Dolan, who has used facial recognition to track visitors and deny entry to attorneys involved in litigation against the venue.<\/p>\n
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Fight for the Future director Evan Greer said<\/a> Dolan\u2019s system amounts to a \u201csurveillance empire that rivals some nation states.\u201d She added that fewer rules govern its use than government surveillance.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Speakers pointed to specific incidents to argue the risks are not hypothetical. They cited a cyberattack<\/a> this summer that exposed MSG visitor data, including emails, full names and street addresses.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n They also referenced a 2022 case<\/a> in which a mother chaperoning a Girl Scout troop was turned away from Radio City Music Hall, another Dolan-owned venue, because she worked at a law firm suing the company.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Council Member Shahana Hanif, a Brooklyn Democrat, raised the possibility<\/a> that leaked biometric data could reach federal immigration authorities. She acknowledged that scenario remains theoretical.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n During the rally, Hanif, the bill\u2019s prime sponsor, spoke on \u201cBan the Scan,\u201d a City Council bill that would bar businesses open to the public from using biometric scans to identify or verify customers including sports arenas, concerts venues and stores.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The bill would prohibit selling or sharing biometric data with third parties. It would also let customers sue for violations, with damages of up to $5,000<\/a> per intentional or reckless breach.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Hanif announced<\/a> at the rally that the bill now has the backing of Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s administration. It also has 28 co-sponsors on the 51-member City Council, which is the majority of the Council.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Samuel Levine spoke in support of the measure.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis kind of mass surveillance opens the door to abuse and discrimination, making consumers in our city uniquely vulnerable,\u201d he said<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n A companion bill from Council member Pierina Sanchez would further restrict how biometric data can be sold or shared. It has not yet secured majority support or Levine\u2019s backing.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The legislation still needs the endorsement of Council Speaker Julie Menin, who has not taken a position. Hanif said<\/a> she is in talks with Menin\u2019s office.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n