Madison Square Garden Is Sued Over Invasive Facial Recognition Tech

Madison Square Garden Entertainment, the company renowned for its famed entertainment venues, is finding itself in hot water as it faces a federal class action lawsuit. The suit alleges that the company violated the biometric privacy ordinance of New York City and state privacy laws by employing a facial recognition system for security purposes. M. Ross Arnel, the complainant in the lawsuit, contends that MSG covertly profited from the biometric data of visitors to its venues, which include the legendary Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall. By collecting and utilizing biometric information, Arnel claims that MSG bolstered security, consequently rendering its venues more attractive to the public, which in turn led to an undue advantage. We obtained a copy of the complaint for you here. The lawsuit takes an interesting turn, as it further alleges that MSG utilized the facial recognition technology as a strategic tool to keep out attorneys representing individuals or entities that might have conflicting interests with MSG or its affiliates. “The Attorney Ban, which was adopted in July 2022, states in summary that MSG and any of its venues reserves the right to exclude any litigation counsel who represents parties adverse to MSG and its related companies,” the complaint states. M. Ross Arnel, who took legal action in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, shared his personal encounter, recounting how his face was scanned and matched against images in the company’s database during his attendance at a Madison Square…Madison Square Garden Is Sued Over Invasive Facial Recognition Tech