The woman was not allowed to the Rockettes show: artificial intelligence banned her because of her work

A recent incident at Radio City Music Hall involving a Girl Scout's mother sheds light on the growing controversy over facial recognition. Critics say it is being used to go after perceived enemies - in this case, one of the most prominent companies in the country. NBC New York.

Kelly Conlon and her daughter came to New York the weekend after Thanksgiving as part of a Girl Scout tour of the Radio City Music Hall for the Christmas Spectacular. But while her daughter, the other members of the Girl Scouts and their mothers were able to enjoy the show, Conlon was not allowed in.

That's because for Madison Square Garden Entertainment, Conlon is more than just a mom. They figured her out, the guards approached her the moment she entered the foyer.

“That was when I was going through a metal detector. I heard on the intercom or loudspeaker,” she said in an interview. “They said ‘a woman with long dark hair and a gray scarf’.

She was asked to give her name and show ID.

“I believe they said you were suspected by our ID team,” Conlon said.

The sign says facial recognition is being used as a security measure to keep guests and staff safe. Conlon says she didn't pose any threat. But the guards kicked her out anyway, explaining that they knew she was a lawyer.

“They knew my name before I told them. They knew what firm I was involved with before I told them. And they told me I shouldn't be there,” Conlon said.

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Conlon is an associate with the New Jersey law firm Davis, Saperstein and Solomon. For years, the firm has been involved in lawsuits against the restaurant establishment now under the MSG Entertainment umbrella.

“I don't practice in New York. I am not a lawyer who is working on any cases against MSG,” Conlon said.

But MSG said it was barred from entering anyway. And to all her fellow lawyers at this firm.

“MSG has introduced a straightforward policy. It prevents attorneys with active litigation against the company from attending events until those litigations are resolved. We understand that this policy is disappointing to some. But we cannot ignore the fact that litigation creates an unfavorable environment. All affected attorneys have been notified of this policy, including Davis, Saperstein and Salomon, which has been notified twice,” a MSG Entertainment spokesperson said in a statement.

“The whole scheme is a pretext for collective punishment of opponents who would dare to sue MSG in their multi-billion dollar network,” said Sam Davis, a partner at Conlon's firm.

Other firms have sued for being blacklisted.

Conlon said she believes the judge's recent ruling in one of those cases clearly states that ticket holders like her "cannot be denied access to any shows."

MSG stated that “in this particular situation, only one lawyer who chose to attend the show was denied entry. And the rest of her group, including the Girl Scouts, were able to attend and enjoy the show.”

“I was just a mom who took her daughter to a Christmas performance,” Conlon said. “I was really waiting outside… It was awkward, it was terrible.”

Now Davis has moved into legal action, challenging MSG's license with the state's Liquor Authority.

“The liquor license that MSG has received requires that they allow members of the public. Unless there are people who can disturb the order and pose a security risk,” says Davis. “Taking a mother away, separating a mother from her daughter and Girl Scouts… And doing it under the pretense of protecting the disclosure of information about the lawsuit is absolutely absurd. The fact that they use facial recognition to do this is scary. It's not American."

A MSG spokesperson reiterated in a statement that safety is their top priority. And that facial recognition is just one of the methods they use. MSG Entertainment also stated that they are confident that their policies comply with all applicable laws.