Ban Facial Recognition at Live Events

A recent study by Georgetown University’s Center on Privacy and Technology found that “face recognition doesn’t work well enough to reliably serve the purposes for which law enforcement agencies themselves want to use it.” Because the tech constantly misidentifies people, it actually puts people in danger of bodily and psychological harm (through false arrests and police violence) and does nothing to keep people safe.

Even if facial recognition technology did work perfectly, the threat it poses to human society and basic liberty – by enabling ubiquitous and impossible to avoid monitoring of entire populations –  far outweighs any potential benefits. 

Big picture, we need to stop trying to solve systemic problems like poverty and injustice with invasive, racist, and discriminatory technology.

In most states venues don’t have to disclose whether they’re using facial recognition. MSG Entertainment was upfront about its use of facial recognition at its New York venues, including Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, and Beacon Theater, because New York City law requires companies to disclose the use of biometric technology.  

It’s very possible that venues – both small and large – across the country are using facial recognition in ways similar to MSG Entertainment. For example, a Black teenager was booted from a roller rink in Michigan in 2021 after she was misidentified by facial recognition technology that flagged her as someone on the rink’s “banned” list. 

We also know that biometric technologies like facial recognition are spreading rapidly within live entertainment event ticketing and concessions.

• Ticketmaster has partnered with the facial recognition company Wicket to provide facial recognition ticketing at a range of stadiums and venues, including the Mets’ stadium, Columbus Crew field, the Atlanta Falcons’ stadium, and the Cleveland Browns’ stadium. Check out a comprehensive list of stadiums and arenas using biometric technology here.

• AEG Presents, meanwhile, has tried to introduce biometric palm scanning as a ticketing option at venues in Colorado. Activists and artists succeeded in shutting down a trial of this tech at the famed venue Red Rocks Amphitheater near Denver, Colorado, just weeks after it was introduced. Palm scanners are still reportedly in use at Mission Ballroom in Denver. 

Whether it’s for ticketing or to enforce a blacklist, the collection of biometric data by corporations – through facial recognition or palm scanners – puts people at risk of identity theft and false arrests.

In recent years, Fight for the Future and prominent musicians like Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine led campaigns that got more than 40 of the world’s largest music festivals to say they won’t use facial recognition at their events. Ticketmaster also cut ties with a facial recognition startup after the backlash.

Ultimately we need lawmakers to act and pass laws to protect all of us from facial recognition technology.  Cities including San Francisco, Boston, Minneapolis, and Jackson, MS have passed bans on government and law enforcement use of facial recognition, and Portland, OR has banned use by public places. Federally, lawmakers have introduced the Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act which would protect people across the U.S. from government and law enforcement use, but there hasn’t been a federal bill to address how private companies like MSG use the technology. We need to keep pressure on lawmakers to act on this issue.