New York's mayor says Madison Square Garden's face-scanning cameras should not be allowed, and backs city bills that would ban biometric collection in public places.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani says the surveillance technology used by Madison Square Garden's owner should not be allowed. He told Wired on Tuesday that such tools are "indicative of much that is wrong in our country today." If you go to shows or games in the city, your face may be scanned.
Mamdani pointed to two local bills from City Council member Shahana Hanif. They aim to ban the collection of biometric data in public places across the city. Biometric data means body-based details, such as a face scan used for facial recognition. He called the draft legislation "an important response to this kind of an issue."
Wired has reported that James Dolan, who owns MSG, uses cameras and face-scanning to track people in and outside its venues. One report said a company database marks some visitors, including celebrity performers, as "LGBTQIA," for reasons that are unclear. Dolan sued Wired over its reporting. An MSG spokesperson, Mikyl Cordova, told TechCrunch the reporting is "inaccurate and false" and that MSG is pursuing legal remedies. No evidence was given.
In 2021, a woman was banned from Radio City, another Dolan-owned venue, after facial recognition identified her as an attorney at a firm suing the company. She was not involved in that case.
The bills are drafts, and the material does not say when they might get a vote or whether they would cover private venues like MSG. For now, a 2021 city rule requires businesses to disclose when they collect biometric data from visitors.
Face scanning at big New York venues is under political pressure, but the bills are still drafts and only the 2021 disclosure rule is in force.
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