Lawmakers and privacy advocates are calling on Madison Square Garden owners to stop using facial recognition technology on fans.
Senator Kristen Gonzalez joined supporters last weekend calling for MSG Entertainment to use technology on its fans.
“It is very upsetting to see examples of wealthy and powerful individuals not only using their power to target people, but also abusing surveillance technology,” Gonzalez said.
This dates back to an incident in which a lawyer involved in a lawsuit against MSG Entertainment was banned from the arena and Radio City Music Hall.
Lawmakers say venues shouldn’t be empowered to weaponize facial recognition to discriminate against patrons or steal personal information.
A spokesperson for MSG provided the following statement to News 12:
“Facial recognition technology systems will be used to identify individuals, except those who have been previously notified that they have been barred from entering the venue or who have been identified as being a security risk due to previous misconduct at the venue. It does not keep images.”
