BREAKING: Walt Disney World Now Testing Facial Recognition Technology for Theme Park Entry

Iain

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BREAKING: Walt Disney World Now Testing Facial Recognition Technology for Theme Park Entry

Facial recognition technology was tested this morning at the entrance to Magic Kingdom. Walt Disney World has shifted in recent months to utilizing more touchless technology, and the newest addition could be touchless entry to the theme parks through facial recognition.

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The test was optional this morning, and testing will continue sporadically. The test was only conducted for a short period today.

The testing takes place in three easy steps. Guests begin by entering the designated facial recognition testing lane. After that, guests are instructed to remove any hats, visors, or sunglasses before approaching the facial recognition testing zone. Guests will need to position their MagicBand or valid park admission close to a scanner to activate the technology. The technology will then capture an image and convert that into a unique number that is associated with the valid ticket.

Disney added a note stating that the “security, integrity, and confidentiality of your information are extremely important to us.” They go on to state that the images captured will only be stored for 30 days, and that the images or unique numbers will not be shared with third parties. They also add that despite strict security measures, “no security measures are perfect or impenetrable.”

Stay tuned here at WDWNT for more information on this new technology.

13 thoughts on “BREAKING: Walt Disney World Now Testing Facial Recognition Technology for Theme Park Entry”

  1. This is scary….they have absolutely no right to do this.
    It is Big Brother…Orwellian stuff. 1984 was right…it just
    predicted it too early. Its a violation of human rights. But then
    Disney doesn’t care about human rights….they support PP.

    • They’ve had surveillance cameras installed throughout resort property for decades, much like millions of towns the world over, and your image has already appeared on hundreds of them without your knowledge as you’ve walked through a store or parking lot, but THIS is what you consider a violation? If this concerns you, then I guess you don’t have a smart phone with Face ID like most people in the 21st century.

    • FYI… airports have been using it for years. In some airports you don’t get a ticket any more they just scan your face. Retailers and other companies have been alao using it for 10+ years to track customer patterns and shopping habits. Walk into a casino? Facial rececognition. Walk on a city street? Facial recognition. Many cities have facial recognition on city corners to combat crime and catch criminals. Some are now going to 100% recognition for red light and traffic violations. Everything you basically do is tracked. Private companies can legally do it because by you going through it you are saying its ok. Only way outbof it is Tolstoy home and turn off al electronics.

    • come on it is Disney – they can do whatever they want and people will still give them their money

    • Since it’s only a testing phase, I think it’s safe to assume Disney is hoping to have this ready for official use by the time masks are no longer necessary.

  2. Funnily enough, it’s much easier to fake your facial identity than it is to fake your fingerprint identity. Well done, Chapek!

  3. Technically, they already have your face, recorded electronically and linked to your ticket if you ride any of the rides with live photos (haunted mansion, splash mountain, space mountain, mine train) while wearing your magic band… and since you are on their property, you don’t have any claim to an expectation of privacy. You don’t have to like it, but they are completely within the US privacy law on this one. Not sure how that will play out in other countries with more restrictive privacy laws (see previous uproar over Google Earth photographing people and places from public roadways for details on what is and is not an expectation of privacy by country)

  4. Sounds like Disney is longing to be China (hmm DCP) with invasive technology that has no REAL reason other than collecting information on you, as the ultimate product. I also heard that Orlando Magic is longing to be like China too with facial scans and app for entrance. Technologists understand how horrific digital collection can be. Two thumbs down on Disney and Orlando Magic for this.

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