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As venues adopt new security technology and fans wear cameras, attending a live event can come with privacy concerns.

Why it matters: Safety has always been a concern at large gatherings. But technology is giving venues more powerful ways to identify and track who's inside.

Zoom in: Madison Square Garden has become the flashpoint. An April Wired investigation found MSG security tracked a transgender woman through the venue over a two-year period, including when she sat down, ordered a drink and used the bathroom.

Wired said MSG did not answer detailed questions about the woman. In a court filing, MSG's lawyers said the allegation that its security chief directed facial recognition to monitor her was included to cast him in a "negative light" using "excessive, needless detail."

A separate Wired investigation in July reported that an internal MSG "talent" database contained nearly 40,000 entries for prominent people and their guests. Some were assigned risk scores, while a separate field labeled 93 entries "LGBTQIA."

MSG sued Wired for defamation over the July story, alleging the outlet used data stolen from MSG by a hacking group to falsely portray the company as targeting the LGBTQIA community for discrimination.

In its complaint, MSG said the purpose of the sexual orientation field was to 'further inclusion, including by extending invitations to LGBTQIA support events.'

Wired has said it stands by its reporting and plans to vigorously defend against the lawsuit.

MSG sent Axios its Wired lawsuit and a July press release when asked for comment.

Previously, MSG has been open about using facial recognition for purposes beyond security.

In 2023, MSG said it had used facial recognition since 2018 "as one of our tools to provide a safe and secure environment" and separately "as a tool to keep adverse attorneys out of our venues."

The company said as a private business it has the right to temporarily exclude those attorneys while litigation is underway and that they are welcome back when the cases are resolved.

Flashback: The broader live music industry previously experimented with facial recognition.

Live Nation in 2018 partnered with and invested in Blink Identity where event goers could walk into a show without needing to scan their ticket.

Fight for the Future launched a campaign in 2019 to ban the technology at venues and music festivals. Artists including Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello joined the effort.

Reality check: Facial recognition still isn't commonplace at U.S. concert venues.

Fight for the Future director Evan Greer says MSG remains an outlier, along with James Dolan's other properties like Radio City and Sphere.

More than 40 major festivals, including Coachella, SXSW and Bonnaroo, said they had no plans to use facial recognition.

Zoom out: Privacy concerns extend beyond technology installed by venues. 

Meta's smart glasses and other wearable cameras make it possible for people to record without holding up a phone. Restaurants, pubs and theaters in the U.K. have begun banning the glasses over concerns that patrons could be filmed without realizing it.

Some artists have held phone-free shows. Phoebe Bridgers required all attendees to lock their devices in Yondr pouches during her low-cost pop-up show at MSG and extended the model to her 2026 tour.

What to watch: Privacy advocates are trying to prevent the normalization of facial recognition before the technology spreads more widely.

Fight for the Future joined artists, privacy groups and New York City Council Member Shahana Hanif on Friday to push for a ban on facial recognition and other biometric surveillance in places open to the public.

"It shouldn't be up to corporate CEOs whether we have to submit to a face scan to walk into a publicly accessible venue," Greer tells Axios.

Portland, Oregon restricts private use of facial recognition in places of public accommodation, a model Greer says the group wants other cities to follow.

Surveillance tech raises privacy concerns at live event venues

Technology is giving venues more powerful ways to identify and track who's inside.

Illustration of police officers, Meta glasses, and security cameras

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images

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Surveillance tech raises privacy concerns at live event venues

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