New York City lawmakers, privacy advocates, and artists gathered outside Moynihan Train Hall and Madison Square Garden to push for a new law banning facial-recognition and biometric surveillance in public venues.

Context for the push includes Dolan’s ties to former President Trump, underscoring concerns about data collection and influence.

MSG defended its practices by noting that recognizing faces is a long-standing human ability, framing facial recognition as normal.

Speakers argued that facial recognition disproportionately harms marginalized communities through higher misidentification rates and potential punitive actions based on facial data.

MSG, led by CEO James Dolan, has been scrutinized for extensive biometric data collection, including tracking fans at games and maintaining a database with risk scores for hundreds of celebrities and VIPs, with dossiers reportedly containing race and sexual orientation.

City Council members, led by Shahana Hanif, expressed support for Intro 213 with backing from the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection commissioner, signaling political momentum.

Advocates claim MSG and other venues use facial recognition to monitor activists and suppress dissent, raising civil rights concerns about potential misuse by authorities or third parties.

Activists note that NYC businesses currently require notices, not consent, for biometric data collection, raising concerns about informed consent and data retention or sharing with immigration or law enforcement.

Rally participants include S.T.O.P., Fight for the Future, NYC DSA Tech Action, Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, and musicians, highlighting broad coalition against venue surveillance.

The rally follows a June data breach at MSG exposing millions of records, intensifying privacy fears.

The bill’s momentum shows cross-party support and ongoing discussions in the City Council about advancing a ban on biometric surveillance in public spaces.

Supporters, including musician Paisley Fields and advocates from Fight for the Future and NYC DSA Tech Action, emphasized the need to curb MSG’s surveillance practices.