In 2021, a woman was excluded from Radio City after recognition systems identified her as a lawyer at a firm in a legal dispute with James Dolan’s company.
Now, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has criticized Dolan over surveillance at company venues, and Council member Shahana Hanif has introduced two bills to ban biometric data collection in public spaces.
Madison Square Garden calls reports about its visitor database inaccurate and false.
The proposal to ban biometric data
In response to these practices, City Councilwoman Shahana Hanif has introduced two bills. The goal is to ban the collection of biometric data – such as facial features – in public spaces in the city. It is noted that since 2021, New York law requires businesses to inform their visitors if they proceed with the collection of such data.
Complaints about databases
Reports have suggested that the company maintains a database of information about guests, including characteristics such as sexual orientation. One incident that sparked outrage occurred in 2021, when a woman was blocked from entering Radio City, a venue also owned by Dolan's business. The facial recognition system identified her as a law firm attorney who was in a legal dispute with the company, even though she was not personally involved in the case.
The company's position
Madison Square Garden has denied the reports of surveillance as inaccurate and false, and has announced that it will take legal action against the media outlets that published the information.
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