Rally held outside Madison Square Garden over use of face recognition technology: 'Ban the scan'
MIDTOWN, Manhattan (WABC) -- A rally was held Friday outside Madison Square Garden over the venue's use of facial recognition technology.
Demonstrators say the practice raises serious privacy concerns and they are questioning how the Garden is using the information it gathers on its guests.
They are now urging lawmakers to take action and ban the venue from using the technology.
City Council member Shahana Hanif and other advocates against the overuse of surveillance cameras in New York City say it's time to pass a law banning it in places like stores, restaurants and entertainment venues like MSG and Radio City Music Hall - both run by James Dolan.
"For years, MSG owner James Dolan has doubled down on using facial recognition to scan anyone entering his venues and banning individuals that he dislikes," said Michelle Dahl with Surveillance Technology Oversight Project. "In one widely reported case, a mother was turned away from Radio City Music Hall, simply because she worked at a law firm involved in litigation against Dolan. She was there chaperoning her Girl Scout troop and posed no security threat."
Hanif is now sponsoring one law that would ban such biometric data collection. A second law would prohibit landlords from using it as well.
But both have faced pushback, especially from small businesses who say it's a security tool to prevent crime and police often rely on surveillance videos to find dangerous criminals.
But regarding alleged overuse of scanning at MSG, supporters of a ban argue it's not only invasive, it's selective. Surveillance cameras were turned off for Taylor Swift's wedding.
"So clearly, this technology is not actually that necessary for security," Dahl said.
The bill's sponsor says it's gaining momentum at City Hall.
"You should not have to give up your sensitive biometric data to walk into the grocery store, to pick your kids up from school, or to go see an awesome concert at Madison Square Garden," said Evan Greer with Fight For the Future.
They say the real risk is from hackers.
"People have been recognizing each other's faces since the beginning of time - we just do it electronically," a statement from a Madison Square Garden spokesperson said.
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