New York City’s Mamdani criticizes Madison Square Garden owner over surveillance tech

In Brief

Mayor of New York City Zohran Mamdani has criticized the proprietor of Madison Square Garden, 1 of the city’s largest amusement venues, arguing that the company’s surveillance exertion should not beryllium allowed.

Mamdani told Wired successful an interview connected Tuesday that surveillance technologies are “indicative of overmuch that is incorrect successful our state today.” He added that City Council subordinate Shahana Hanif introduced two pieces of section authorities aimed astatine banning the postulation of biometric data, specified arsenic utilizing facial recognition, successful nationalist places crossed the city. Mamdani said that the draught authorities is “an important effect to this benignant of an issue.”

The comments travel aft a watercourse of reporting from Wired detailing however Madison Square Garden’s proprietor James Dolan relies connected surveillance cameras and face-scanning exertion to way radical crossed and extracurricular of its venues. 

In one report, Wired revealed that Dolan’s institution keeps a database that, among different things, marks immoderate visitors, including personage performers, arsenic “LGBTQIA,” for reasons that are unclear. Dolan subsequently sued Wired implicit its reporting.

In 2021, MSG made headlines aft a pistillate was banned from Radio City, different Dolan-owned venue, aft being recognized by facial designation systems arsenic an lawyer astatine a instrumentality steadfast who was suing Dolan’s institution but was not progressive successful the litigation.

A spokesperson for Madison Square Garden did not respond to a petition for remark from TechCrunch.

Since 2021, New York City has required businesses to disclose erstwhile they are collecting biometric information from visitors.

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