MSG Made Dossier on Activists Who Opposed Facial Recognition

Debating this specific dossier ignores the larger issue, IMO:

> MSG has deployed facial recognition technology since 2018 to identify people entering the venue. MSG’s facial recognition systems have been used to block entry to the stadium for all sorts of people. The list includes lawyers who work at law firms in litigation with MSG, even if they are not part of the litigation themselves; and potentially a man who once made a shirt that criticized Dolan.

> The document was included in a 45GB cache of data hackers stole from MSG and posted online this month

MSG management is not only misusing facial recognition data, they're also so inept as to store it insecurely in a way that violates their own customer's privacy.

We need laws around this stuff. And in the meantime NYC should start playing hardball: if they're going to arbitrarily block people from entering MSG based on corporate vendetta then they need to lose their tax exemption (well, they should anyway...)

https://reinventalbany.org/2023/02/watchdog-supports-state-b...

I expect that every major venue is using this technology now. You'd be pretty naive to think otherwise. And keeping lists of people they find "interesting" just goes along with that -- otherwise what's the point?

Related:

The Shocking Secrets of Madison Square Garden’s Surveillance Machine: https://www.wired.com/story/madison-square-garden-jim-dolan-...

Archive/paywall: https://archive.ph/iiczs

Post on the MSG data breach: https://www.404media.co/hackers-publish-knicks-and-madison-s...

Archive/paywall: https://archive.ph/qh3UQ

Shinyhunters website: http://shnyhntww34phqoa6dcgnvps2yu7dlwzmy5lkvejwjdo6z7bmgshz...

Please watch/listen to the Pablo Torre podcast about this one for additional context:

https://www.pablo.show/p/inside-james-dolans-deep-state?utm_...

If you don't know, Pablo recently won a Pulitzer for his reporting on Steve Balmer's deal with Aspiration. If you listened only to mainstream media, you would think "Poor Steve, he was duped!" But, Pablo's reporting might change your opinion on that one.

The incredible volume of high quality, well researched shows are so refreshing as an antidote to Joe Rogan and Theo Vaughn, who seem to come into every interview with just the right amount of ignorance to let every guest spew whatever propaganda they want. Pablo never lets that happen.

List of Honor. I'm grateful these brave people exist.

  In each section, the document includes background information on the 
  activist, their contact information if available, their social media handles 
  and follower count, then quotes each have previously said about MSG’s facial 
  recognition program. 

This seems like a pretty normal thing to do. If anything its kind of quaint to see “Facial Recognition Activists.docx” . . . in a folder named “Activists" instead of plugging it into a repurposed CRM with built-in social media monitoring, or maybe an electronic Evidence Board in Foundry to tie back EFF donations to season ticket holders of various things. Maybe they do all that too, or maybe the event venue management doesn't care that much.

In NYC, you can trespass anyone from a private business at any time and for no reason at all.

NY Penal Law § 140.00 says a person in premises open to the public is there with license/privilege unless they defy a lawful order not to enter or remain, personally communicated by the owner or another authorized person.

So, in plain English:

“You have to leave. You are not allowed back.”

The owner does not need to say: “You have to leave because…”

There was a ton of hoopla around this when Radio City and MSG trespassed lawyers that were suing the company and venues.

Everyone was up in arms and nothing happened.