An internal document collected tweets and public statements from people who criticised biometric surveillance
Publicly criticising a facial recognition system can get you filed away by the very organisation running it. That is what emerges from a 45 GB cache of data stolen in a cyberattack on Madison Square Garden (MSG) and published online this month, then examined by 404 Media.
Among the exfiltrated files is a document titled “Facial Recognition Activists.docx”: an internal dossier collecting tweets and public statements from activists who had spoken out against the use of biometric technology by the sports and entertainment group led by Jim Dolan. The file was accessible to other company employees, according to 404 Media.
Among the individuals listed in the document is Adam Schwartz, director of privacy litigation at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). His reaction is direct: “The aftermath of a data breach would be a good time for Madison Square Garden to stop subjecting its customers to biometric surveillance.” Schwartz was among the monitored subjects, which turns the case into something more than a technical data leak: it becomes evidence that those who oppose a surveillance system are themselves surveilled.
MSG used facial recognition to manage access to its venues and used its internal organisational structure to track the opinions of individuals who had exercised their right to criticism in an entirely lawful and public manner. The dossier contained tweets and comments already visible to anyone – no stolen trade secrets, no confidential information.
