With privacy advocates, musicians and New York City lawmakers gathered outside Madison Square Garden on Friday to demand legislation banning facial recognition technology and other biometric surveillance tools in public spaces across the city.
“MSG and its CEO James Dolan are blatantly abusing biotechnology,” Councilwoman Shahana Hanif said after leading a “do not scan” chant at the rally. Hanif introduced a bill in January that would prohibit the use of biometric technology, including facial recognition systems, in public places.
Madison Square Garden has faced longstanding scrutiny over its collection and use of biometric data. As WIRED previously reported, fans who criticize Dolan or the New York Knicks may be placed on watchlists, with their facial images added to MSG’s extensive database. In one case, MSG security reportedly tracked a fan’s movements throughout a Knicks game, recording where the person went, whom they spoke with, when they ate, where they sat, and more. Hundreds of attorneys involved in legal disputes with Dolan and his properties have also been barred from his venues, including a mother who was prevented from taking her daughter to a Radio City Music Hall performance.
In July, WIRED reported that MSG maintains a database assigning risk scores to approximately 400 celebrities and VIPs. Documents also reportedly include information about the race and sexual orientation of people attending the arena. Later that month, MSG filed a defamation lawsuit against WIRED.
Hanif was joined at Friday’s rally by Brooklyn-based country musician Paisley Fields, representatives of the democratic socialist group NYC DSA Tech Action, and members of the digital rights organization Fight for the Future.
Hanif’s “ban scan” bill now has 27 votes—more than half of the New York City Council. Hanif said lawmakers are consulting with Speaker Julie Menin about the next steps for advancing the facial recognition ban.
“People have recognized each other’s faces since time immemorial. We only do it electronically,” an MSG spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
Hanif told WIRED that, as a Muslim who grew up in post-9/11 New York, she is familiar with government surveillance. However, many people may not realize the extent of the biometric monitoring they could face simply by attending a Knicks game, concert, or other event at Madison Square Garden and related venues, she said. Hanif is especially concerned that Dolan, who has a longstanding relationship with President Donald Trump, is collecting this data.
“New Yorkers need to understand now that AI and all these tools being promoted to make our city safer may actually be making us less safe,” Hanif said.
Source: www.wired.com