Outside Citi Field in Queens, New York, a small group of protesters gathered on Wednesday to oppose the growing use of facial recognition scanning. The demonstration was organized by the nonprofit advocacy groups Fight for the Future and the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP), who sought to raise awareness among Mets game attendees about the implications of biometric data collection.
At some stadiums, including Citi Field, ticket-holders can opt to use facial recognition technology to streamline their entry and concession stand experiences. This system, which has been installed at least 21 stadiums and arenas across the country, aims to offer faster service but has raised significant privacy concerns. While Citi Field only scans faces of ticket-holders who opt into the system, other venues, like Madison Square Garden, use the technology on everyone who enters. The technology has also been introduced at baseball stadiums in Philadelphia, Kansas City, San Francisco, Houston, and Washington, D.C.
Digital rights advocates argue that facial recognition technology poses serious risks, including potential errors and threats to privacy, safety, and data security. Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of STOP, expressed concerns that such technology could unfairly target and exclude marginalized groups, pointing out that facial recognition systems are often biased against people of color, particularly Black women, as well as women, children, and the elderly. Instances of misidentification have even led to wrongful arrests.
Cahn and other protesters criticized the use of facial recognition by large institutions, likening it to a violation of personal privacy akin to the invasive nature of tracking tools. They highlighted the risk of data misuse by law enforcement and the broader implications of storing biometric data, which cannot be easily replaced if stolen, unlike other forms of data.
These proposed laws aim to ban the technology’s use in public accommodations and residential settings. Participants also delivered a letter, signed by 11 rights groups including Amnesty International, urging Major League Baseball and other sports leagues to discontinue the use of facial recognition technology.
This demonstration at Citi Field is part of a series of protests organized by Fight for the Future, with plans to hold similar events outside stadiums across the U.S. in the coming weeks. The group previously protested outside a Phillies game in Philadelphia, where facial recognition technology is also employed for ticketing.