MSG Entertainment Denies Profiling Rappers And Others In Leaked Database

Madison Square Garden denies Wired’s report about a secret database that assigned risk ratings to rappers and tracked LGBTQIA celebrities, tells AllHipHop it’s pursuing legal remedies.

Madison Square Garden is striking back hard at Wired’s report alleging the venue maintained a secret database that flagged rappers and celebrities with risk ratings. An MSG representative told AllHipHop.com exactly what the company thinks about the allegations.

“Wired’s reporting is inaccurate and false. MSG is pursuing legal remedies,” a rep told AllHipHop.com, making it crystal clear the company is done playing defense and ready to go on the legal offensive. The statement puts MSG squarely in the ring with the publication over claims that now have three federal class-action lawsuits stacked against the venue.

The controversy erupted last month when a hacker collective called ShinyHunters dumped a massive trove of data from MSG’s systems after the company refused to meet its ransom demands.

The leaked files allegedly showed nearly 40,000 names spanning entertainment, politics, business and sports, with rappers like Lil Jon, Freddie Gibbs, DaBaby and A Boogie Wit da Hoodie assigned “high risk” labels.

Ice Spice, Selena Gomez and Benson Boone landed in the “low risk” category.

The database included 93 entries marked “LGBTQIA,” including Ricky Martin and Phoebe Bridgers, according to CBS News.

It also raised serious questions about why MSG was tracking sexual orientation and gender identity in a security system allegedly designed to manage venue safety. MSG had combined facial-recognition data with social media activity since 2018 to build threat-assessment profiles on visitors.

This ain’t MSG’s first rodeo with invasive surveillance accusations either.

In 2023, New York Attorney General Letitia James asked MSG for details on its facial recognition practices after reports surfaced that the company used the technology to identify and ban lawyers connected to firms suing it.

That pattern of using security tools against critics and perceived adversaries is well documented.

The data breach exposed employee information, customer data, and information from millions of visitors, sports fans, concertgoers and celebrities that MSG had collected over the years.

Now the venue is facing multiple federal lawsuits and a major legal fight with Wired.

Related