S.T.O.P. condemns MSG's use of facial recognition to exclude lawyers
Surveillance Technology Oversight ProjectS.T.O.P., through executive director Albert Fox Cahn
Through Albert Fox Cahn, S.T.O.P. condemns MSG's exclusions and warns that other businesses could punish customers for exercising legal rights.
“If MSG can do this to attorneys suing the company, they can also target employees and customers who sue the company for violating the law. It’s terrifying to think that other companies might follow suit, and that anytime you exercise your rights in court it will mean getting banned from public life.”
Official statement
Where this statement fits
James Dolan defends MSG's facial-recognition lawyer exclusions; New York officials object
In January 2023, James Dolan defended MSG Entertainment's use of facial recognition to bar lawyers at firms suing the company, saying a property owner may choose whom it serves. Letitia James and Brad Hoylman-Sigal objected that the policy punished people for pursuing legal claims. A New York appeals court later held that state law requires MSG to admit ticket holders to concerts and theatrical shows but not sporting events, with damages as the only remedy. MSG described the exclusions as a safety measure in 2025, and WIRED reported in May 2026 that MSG had revoked the tickets of a lawyer suing it.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
A state Senate release quotes lawmakers and S.T.O.P. opposing the exclusion of attorneys based on their employers' litigation. It includes requests for privacy safeguards and scrutiny of public benefits.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Elected officials and privacy advocates rallied after MSG used facial recognition to exclude an attorney from a venue.
After the quotation
The coalition called on MSG to adopt a written policy for destroying biometric data once its initial purpose was complete.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Reference point: MSG's policy of excluding lawyers at firms suing it. Speaking for S.T.O.P., Albert Fox Cahn warns that the same approach could be used against employees and customers who sue and calls that prospect terrifying. The warning is criticism of the policy itself, so Challenged the characterization loses.
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More from this case
Read the full caseEFF criticizes MSG's exclusions and warns they could spread to protesters
Electronic Frontier Foundation
“Madison Square Gardens was recently caught using this technology to exclude employees of a law firm that sued the venue’s parent company. ... A business could easily extend this kind of “enemies list” to people who, online or on the sidewalk outside, protest a venue’s discriminatory policies.”Read statement
Williams rejects employer-based venue exclusions
“Individuals should not be removed from a place of business, because their employer is involved in legal action against said business.”Read statement
NYCLU calls MSG's ticket-holder exclusions an example of surveillance dangers
New York Civil Liberties Union
“The widely reported deployment of facial recognition at Madison Square Garden to ban people from the stadium that had already purchased tickets ... illustrates the dangers from the growing surveillance industry and the urgent need for comprehensive privacy protections.”Read statement
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- S.T.O.P. condemns MSG's use of facial recognition to exclude lawyers
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The Dispute Index. "S.T.O.P. condemns MSG's use of facial recognition to exclude lawyers". First published: 2026-10-18. Last updated: 2026-10-18. https://disputeindex.com/events/5943-through-albert-fox-cahn-s-t-o-p