NYC Mayor Mamdani Slams Madison Square Garden Face-Scanning Tech

Should a stadium owner be allowed to scan your face? New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the surveillance technology used by Madison Square Garden's owner should not be allowed. In a Wired interview he called such tools indicative of much that is wrong in the country today. It is a bold stance.

Council member Shahana Hanif introduced two local bills to ban collecting biometric data, such as facial recognition, in public places citywide. Wired reported that James Dolan's company uses cameras and face-scanning to track people, and that its database labels some visitors, including celebrity performers, as LGBTQIA for unclear reasons. Hanif's bills target public spaces.

Dolan sued Wired over the reporting, and an MSG spokesperson called it inaccurate and false without offering evidence. Since 2021, New York businesses must disclose when they collect visitors' biometric data. That was also the year a woman was barred from Radio City after facial recognition flagged her as an attorney suing Dolan's company.