Manhattan’s Madison Square Garden arena has come under criticism for allegedly using facial recognition for surveillance purposes it was not designed for, without concerns for security or safety.

The New York attorney-general is investigating allegations that thousands of lawyers leading lawsuits against MSG Entertainment were blacklisted from attending company events.

In a statement that The Financial Times published, MSG Entertainment contested that it was “merely excluding a small percentage of lawyers only during active litigation” and that it was not the company’s intent “to dissuade attorneys from representing plaintiffs in litigation against us”.

However the accusation stands that the entertainment group were using facial recognition to surveil enemies of the owner and bar them from venues.

The ban applies to all company buildings however face recognition is only installed in New York.