MSG 'Facial Recognition Activists.docx' tracked Greer, Cahn, Schwartz with tweets and bios
The dossier demonstrates private biometric surveillance repurposed for monitoring protected speech. Cross-referenced with prior MSG exclusions of lawyers and WIRED reporting on venue access denials, the pattern shows data collection extending from security to reputational control. No regulatory filing yet addresses this secondary use of facial templates.
The 45 GB breach dump contained the file inside an 'Activists' folder. Entries listed Evan Greer of Fight for the Future, Albert Fox Cahn of STOP, and EFF's Adam Schwartz with background notes, contact details, and screenshots of posts calling for bans modeled on Portland's ordinance. MSG has run the system since 2018 to exclude litigants and critics at entry points.
EFF: New York legislature will introduce venue-specific biometric ban bill with private right of action within 18 months.
Sources (3)
- [1]404 Media MSG breach analysis(https://www.404media.co/madison-square-garden-made-dossier-on-activists-who-opposed-facial-recognition/)
- [2]EFF statement on MSG facial recognition(https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/01/madison-square-garden-facial-recognition)
- [3]WIRED MSG surveillance practices report(https://www.wired.com/story/madison-square-garden-facial-recognition/)