Thousands of people lined up outside Citi Field in the Queens borough of New York City on Wednesday to watch the Mets play the Orioles. But outside the ticket booth, a small group of protesters were handing out fliers. They were there to protest Major League Baseball’s latest program, which is becoming increasingly common in professional sports: the use of facial recognition technology on fans.
Facial recognition companies and their customers argue that these systems will save time, and therefore money, by shortening lines at stadium entrances, but skeptics argue that the surveillance tools are not completely secure, that they make it easier for police to obtain information about fans, and that they encourage “mission creep,” in which surveillance technology becomes more commonplace and even necessary.
MLB’s facial recognition program, “Go-Ahead Entry,” allows participating fans to wait in a separate, usually shorter, security line. Fans download the MLB Ballpark app, submit a selfie and have their face matched at a two-way camera kiosk at the stadium entrance.
The Go-Ahead Entry features six MLB teams: the Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals.
Some MLB teams, including the Mets, have implemented their own facial recognition programs for express entry. The Mets have been using facial recognition company Wicket for their Mets Entry Express program since 2021. Similarly, the Cleveland Guardians have been using Clear’s technology at their stadium, Progressive Field, since 2019.
Wicket’s COO Jeff Bohm told WIRED in an email that the company believes in “using biometric technology responsibly to enhance the event experience,” which includes “taking data security and privacy very seriously.”
Bohm added: “As with many new technologies, there is misinformation circulating about how the technology is being used. Contrary to some of these claims, use of Wicket is always 100% opt-in (users can opt out at any time) and we never scan people’s faces without their consent. No data is shared or sold to third parties.”
Neither the Mets nor MLB immediately responded to WIRED’s requests for comment.
The National Football League has also begun rolling out Wickett facial recognition to speed entry. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in an X post that the league-wide program is only available to “team/game day officials, vendors and media” and not to fans, at least for now. However, the Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans have facial recognition entry systems available to fans. (News of the NFL’s expanded use of facial recognition is still causing confusion on Facebook and X, with some thinking it will become mandatory in all 32 NFL team stadiums.)
At Citi Field on Wednesday, the Mets express entry line was barely used, with about five people every five minutes. There was never a line. The main security line, while long by comparison, took about five minutes.
A group of privacy advocates stood outside Citi Field on Wednesday to warn fans about the growing use of facial recognition systems at sporting events.Photo: Caroline Haskins
