"Did You Hear That, James?" We Survived MSG Surveillance... with Edward Snowden's Lawyer

"Did You Hear That, James?" We Survived MSG Surveillance... with Edward Snowden's Lawyer

May 8, 2026 · 56 min

About this episode

Pablo Torre discusses surveillance at Madison Square Garden with Ben Wizner, exploring privacy issues and notable whistleblowers.

The Knicks are surging. But politicians are condemning owner James Dolan and his tax breaks, after our investigation with WIRED. So Pablo tests the limits of facial recognition with his playoff ticket plug Ben Wizner, who just happens to be the Deputy Legal Director at the ACLU — and one of America's foremost experts on modern privacy. Which makes him uniquely (if begrudgingly) qualified to break down everything from spooked NBA journalists and a banned puppy, to Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein connections… to, yes, the Mount Rushmore of whistleblowers. • Previously on PTFO: We Got Inside Knicks Surveillance — and MSG's Deep State Is Stranger Than You Think • From WIRED: "The Shocking Secrets of Madison Square Garden’s Surveillance Machine" • Watch "CITIZENFOUR" by Laura Poitras • Read "Permanent Record" by Edward Snowden • Read "Your Face Belongs to Us" by Kashmir Hill • PTFO Vault: We Found the Secret Rap Album That the NBA's Best Executive Doesn't Want You to Hear (Pablo Torre Finds Out is independently produced by Meadowlark Media and distributed by The Athletic. The views, research and reporting expressed in this episode are solely those of Pablo Torre Finds Out and do…

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