New York Attorney General Letitia James has joined the fight against Madison Square Garden Entertainment CEO James Dolan and his “dystopian” use of facial recognition software to screen attendees.
The company has used the technology to block lawyers from law firms with active lawsuits against them from participating in events on its sites — which James warned could violate local and federal laws.
“We are writing to express our concern that this policy may violate the New York Civil Rights Act and other municipal, state and federal laws that prohibit discrimination and retaliation for participating in protected activities,” he said in a letter to MSG lawyers on Tuesday.
“Attempts to persuade individuals
filing discrimination claims or encouraging active litigants to waive lawsuits so they can access popular entertainment on Company sites may violate state and city laws prohibiting retaliation,” the statement said. letter.
A top state law enforcement official is giving MSG until Feb. 13 to provide documents justifying the practice, which could affect thousands of attorneys at about 90 companies, and explaining how it does not violate anti-discrimination laws.
“Discrimination and retaliation against government applicants
because there is no room for repairs in New York,” the letter said.
The company used advanced technology to identify and remove at least four attorneys from the incidents at MSG and Radio City Music Hall, whether or not they were directly involved in the lawsuit against the company with the help of their employer. .
West Side Assemblyman Tony Simon was also invited to the NHL-sponsored event at MSG after criticizing the “dystopian” use of the technology along with other Manhattan officials.
He is now sponsoring legislation that would expand an existing state law banning “wrongful denial of admission” to include sporting events.
MSG defended the policy, arguing that facial recognition software is widely used for security purposes and that allowing outside lawyers involved in litigation could put the company at risk.
A spokesman for the company did not immediately comment on the letter, which was officially signed Wednesday by Assistant Attorney General Kyle Rapignan of the Office of Civil Rights in James’ office.
The letter states that facial recognition software is not a perfect technology, especially when it comes to accurately identifying non-white people like Dolan.
“Research suggests that public use of facial recognition software may be associated with biases and false positives against people of color and women,” the letter said.
New York Post
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