Mamdani urges ban on Madison Square Garden surveillance tech

By Daniel Okafor

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the surveillance technology used by Madison Square Garden owner James Dolan should be barred. The comments came after Wired reporting on cameras, face scanning and a database maintained by Dolan’s company.

Mamdani made the comments in a Tuesday interview with Wired. He said surveillance technologies are “indicative of much that is wrong in our country today.” TechCrunch described Madison Square Garden as one of New York City’s largest entertainment venues. Mamdani’s criticism therefore reaches a prominent venue operator and the data practices attached to its venues.

What is Mamdani backing?

City Council member Shahana Hanif introduced two pieces of local legislation aimed at banning the collection of biometric data, such as facial recognition, in public places across the city. Mamdani said the draft legislation is “an important response to this kind of an issue.”

New York City has required businesses to disclose when they collect biometric information from visitors since 2021. Disclosure and prohibition answer different questions. One requires a business to say when it collects such data. The other would restrict collection in public.

The distinction matters because Wired’s account described tracking and recordkeeping as linked parts of MSG’s system. In Wired’s account, cameras and face scanning identify people as they move through and around venues. The database also stores labels attached to some visitors. For venue operators, the policy question extends beyond any single camera or database entry. It reaches the broader collection process.

What did Wired report?

Wired reported that Dolan’s company relies on surveillance cameras and face-scanning technology to track people across and outside its venues. In one report, Wired said the company keeps a database that marks some visitors, including celebrity performers, as “LGBTQIA,” for reasons that were unclear.

Those two elements serve different functions. The cameras and scanning systems identify people. The database stores and categorizes information about them. Connected as described in Wired’s reporting, they give MSG a way to track movement and retain visitor labels. That combination is what Mamdani says should not be allowed.

Dolan subsequently sued Wired over the reporting. Madison Square Garden spokesperson Mikyl Cordova then told TechCrunch: “Wired’s reporting is inaccurate and false. MSG is pursuing legal remedies,” without providing evidence for MSG’s claim. The response rejects the reporting but offers no evidence or explanation for the reported “LGBTQIA” labels.

What does the 2021 case show?

The 2021 case at Radio City gives the dispute a concrete history. A woman was banned from Radio City, another Dolan-owned venue, after facial recognition systems recognized her as an attorney at a law firm that was suing Dolan’s company. She had no role in that litigation.

Here, the system functioned like a turnstile in practical effect: the facial match led to exclusion. The 2021 case moved from identification to a ban. The proposed citywide legislation addresses the collection stage behind that outcome. It would place limits on biometric collection before venue systems could use it.

For venue operators, the business stakes extend beyond one disputed visitor label. The reported system combines physical monitoring with stored personal information. A new city rule could alter how MSG and other venue owners collect and retain biometric data. The existing disclosure regime would not necessarily answer why a visitor receives the label.

Where does the dispute stand?

The next concrete test is legislative: whether Hanif’s two drafts advance in the City Council. Dolan’s lawsuit against Wired supplies the legal test. If City Hall tightens the rules, the change would reach MSG’s cameras and facial scanning, not only the labels stored in its database.