[conspire] Facial Recongition - No More Tickets

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Ruben Safir (ruben at mrbrklyn.com):

> https://www.wsj.com/articles/facial-recognitions-next-big-play-the-sports-stadium-11596290400?mod=hp_lead_pos9
> 
> “Hopefully we use this coronavirus pandemic to change rules,” said Henk
> van Raan, chief innovation officer at the arena. “The coronavirus is a
> bigger enemy than [any threat to] privacy.”
> 
> A spokesman for the Dutch privacy agency declined to comment on the
> arena but said facial recognition should only be deployed with a legal
> basis and under strict circumstances.
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> No - the Privacy threat is far far far greater..

'I will not make any deals with you.  I resigned.  I will not be pushed,
filed, stamped, indexed, debriefed, or numbered.  My life is my own.'

Er, where was I?  (No, not in The Village.)  Right:  You were
complaining that Los Angeles Football Club and the New York Mets
are testing facial-recognition technology in lieu of ticketing for
customers' entry to paid events at stadiums.

Which is my cue to reintroduce myself.  No, I am not a dashing,
dissident British secret agent kidnapped to a sinister but picturesque
coastal town, and referred to only by number.  I am a capitalist.

You are perhaps unclear on something important in this picture, and in
my capacity as a capitalist, I'll gladly explain it to you:  The Los
Angeles Football Club and the New York Mets are not public utilities.
The Mets are a corporation, solely owned since 2002 by Fred Wilpon, who
also owns Citi Field through a subsidiary corporation, Queens Ballpark
Company.

I don't personally choose to do business with Fred or his minions.
Perhaps you do.  If you do, you are free to enter into any lawful
contract you both agree to, including any form of event ticketing.
If you and Fred don't agree, you are free to pursue your lives in 
some way that doesn't involve you attending Mets games.  Personally, I
recommend chess.  There are only six piece types, and the rules have
been generally to people's liking ever since a brief controversy over
stalemate rules in the 19th Century, and some tussling over castling
rules that were resolved late in that same century.

In all likelihood, you're less up in arms about Los Angeles Football
Club, but it's a generally similar situation, except with about a dozen
owners instead of just Fred, and they own the stadium they built on 
land held under long-term lease from USC.

Welcome to the land of capitalism, tovarich.  If you don't like the
terms Fred is offering today, say no to Fred.  Markets are 
conversations, saith the Cluetrain Manifesto.