New York City Lawmakers Push to ‘Ban the Scan’ at MSG
Compiled by KHAO Editorial — aggregated from 1 source. See llms.txt for citation guidance.
◌ Single Source
Privacy advocates and musicians rallied outside Madison Square Garden on Friday, pushing for new legislation to prevent facial-recognition technology at the venue and other public spaces in New York City.
Key facts
- Hanif tells WIRED that, as a Muslim who grew up in post-9/11 New York, surveillance isn’t new
- In July, WIRED reported that MSG also maintains a database that assigns risk scores to around 400 celebrities and VIPs
- Hanif’s “Ban the Scan” bill now has 27 endorsements, more than half of the City Council
- At the rally on Friday, Hanif was joined by Brooklyn-based country musician Paisley Fields, a representative from the democratic-socialist working group NYC DSA Tech Action, and members
Summary
“MSG and its CEO, James Dolan, have been flagrantly abusing biotechnology,” City Council member Shahana Hanif said at the event on Friday, after leading a chant of “ban the scan.” In January, Hanif proposed a bill that would prohibit public venues from using biometric recognition tech such as Madison Square Garden’s facial-recognition systems. Madison Square Garden is well-known for its biometric data collection practices. In July, WIRED reported that MSG also maintains a database that assigns risk scores to around 400 celebrities and VIPs. At the rally on Friday, Hanif was joined by Brooklyn-based country musician Paisley Fields, a representative from the democratic-socialist working group NYC DSA Tech Action, and members of the digital rights advocacy group Fight for the Future.