A new feature has been implemented in various Disney parks: facial recognition! This feature scans guests upon entering the parks and is in parks such as Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. With these new features, many park goers have brought up concerns they have over this feature along with potential benefits.
How do these machines work? There are cameras at the park entrance lanes that take photos of your face. The images are compared with the saved pictures that were taken when a customer first used the ticket or annual pass.
According to Disney, this is supposed to make entering the park faster because the park already has your face saved to verify your identity, and it “helps prevent fraud.” Disney also claims that, after 30 days, pictures of park goers' faces are deleted.
Nevertheless, park goers share concerns over their privacy. For example, parents are concerned about a corporation as big as Disney having photos of their children's faces. In response to this, some visitors mention that these systems are completely optional, and they can be opted out of by simply not queuing up in the line that includes facial scans.
According to the TikTok user @wassimcti, another concern is that some park guests simply did not know that these systems were optional; they bring up that Disney did not make it known that these features are optional until four months into the system. This has led many park visitors to believe Disney misled them and forced them to use the facial recognition feature.
Regarding Disney’s claim that facial scans are deleted after 30 days, there is an exception to this rule. Disney says they will not delete the facial scans if they need to be used for legal or fraud prevention situations; however, in the case of something like a data leak, that could potentially put hundreds thousands of people at risk.
Nevertheless, there are some benefits to the Disney facial scans. In parks that are busy year-round, the facial scans can help you get through the park easier. Also, with the 30-day data deletion, your data is only in the system for a short amount of time. In the end, there is also always the option to opt out, if safety is too big of a concern.
Overall, park visitors should ultimately decide what is best for them, their friends, and their family. Ultimately, this system has not seemingly had a significant effect on the park magic, still leaving Disney the happiest place on Earth for many!
