The New York Times tells the story. On Thanksgiving, Kelly Conlon, a 44-year-old New Jersey personal injury attorney, accompanied her daughter and her Girl Scout friends to see a performance at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. Except that she was immediately blocked by room security.
“They told me they knew my name was Kelly Conlon and that I was a lawyer” she explains. “They also knew the name of my law firm. »
Forced to do laps around the neighborhood while her daughter and friends watched the show, Kelly Conlon had just learned she was “blacklisted” by the Dolan family, which runs Radio City Music Hall and other iconic New York venues, such as Madison Square Garden.
Since this summer, all the lawyers whose firms are on trial with the various companies managed by the Dolan family (and regardless of whether the lawyers themselves are involved in these trials) have been placed on a “blacklist”, their photographs having been included in the file in order to allow security to identify them by facial recognition and to purely and simply prohibit them from accessing the various performance venues.
Lawyers, what next?
A policy assumed by the parent company, MSG Entertainment.
“While we understand that this policy is disappointing for some, we cannot ignore the fact that the trials create an inherently confrontational environment”responded the company by press release. “The lawyers will be welcomed back into our premises as soon as the trials are resolved. »
If the use of facial recognition is legal in New York, a complaint has still been filed, to rule on the legality of such a “blacklist”. For some civil liberties advocates, this case could be emblematic for the use of facial recognition. And its limits.
“This measure is punitive and not protective. It sets a precedent for other companies to identify their critics and punish them”explains Adam Schwartz. “It raises the question of what will happen next. Will businesses use facial recognition to block access to anyone who has protested outside the business or criticized it online with a negative Yelp review? »
In the case of the Knicks, that would make a very long “blacklist”…
