NEWS: Finger Scanning At Disney Parks Causes Concern

[robbalvey]

http://www.local6.com/news/4724689/detail.html

 

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The addition of finger scanning technology at the entrances of Walt Disney World theme parks for all visitors has caused concern among privacy advocates, according to a Local 6 News report.

 

Tourists visiting Disney theme parks in Central Florida must now provide their index and middle fingers to be scanned before entering the front gates.

 

The scans were formerly for season pass holders but now everyone must provide their fingers, Local 6 News reported. They have reportedly been phased in for all ticket holders during the past six months, according to a report.

 

Disney officials said the scans help keep track of who is using legitimate tickets, Local 6 News reported.

 

"It is technology reminiscent of "Mission Impossible" or "James Bond," Local 6 News reporter Jessica Sanchez said. "It works by scanning the ridges and structure of your index finger and middle finger called your finger geometry."

 

Disney officials said the finger scans do not take an actual fingerprint. The scan recognizes certain points and outlines visitor's fingers, officials said.

 

Critics of the new scanning technology do not agree with Disney and said the scans border on a violation of privacy.

 

I think it's a step in the wrong direction," Civil Liberties Union spokesman George Crossley said. "I think it is a step toward collection of personal information on people regardless of what Disney says."

 

Crossley said they will be looking into the scans.

 

"The collecting of this fingertip information and how it is to be used and what the source of that information is as it relates to what it will show -- I don't like it and we will look into it," Crossley said.

 

The finger scanning began earlier this year at some parks before expanding to the entire complex, according to a report.

 

Universal Orlando and SeaWorld also plan to implement similar technology in the future, Local 6 News reported.

 

Wow, so I think this might be one of the lamest news stories EVER on a theme park. I don't know about anyone else, but I'd MUCH rather do the fingering method than give the park a bunch of my personal information when I buy a ticket.

 

I mean, they already have your credit card number, and someone can certianly do a LOT more damage with that than your "finger geometry."

 

And BTW, doesn't Sea World and Busch Gardens also have these already in place? Last time I went they did and I had to put my WHOLE DAMN HAND on the machine! Maybe they are going to make clones of human hands and put them on dolphins? Oh, the horrors!!!!

 

--Robb "Why can't the news just leave the theme parks alone?" Alvey

[Guest]

huh huhhhuh huhuhuh Robb said fingering. LOL!

 

Ok, back on topic, I could care less, I haven't been to Disney in awhile, but isn't that ridiculous? Do kids have to do this as well? It's stupid for parks or for that matter government spending un-necessary money on a machine that doesn't honestly make a difference. Isn't scanning ticket's enough to see that they are legit?

 

Ugh, that reporter must have been bored. Just another heated debate to get rid of theme park business IMHO.

 

Katie

[Twister II]

I got fingerprinted (or finger scaned) in December at Disney World when I went. Im fine with it, have nothing wrong with it, especially when it speeds up that line to get into Epcot and MGM.

[ECZenith]

This is definately a violation of privacy, and pretty unneccessary.

[robbalvey]

But they have been doing this for YEARS! When I got my first WDW AP back in like 1993 they had this system. Why is it just NOW a violation of privacy???

 

The reaason being is that the AP's were non-transferable, and they didn't have your picture on them. With the new "Magic Your Way" tickets, it would be very easy to buy a cheap ticket, use 5 days of it, and then sell it to someone else to use the remainder of the 5 days.

 

The only other option I see is having to print your PICTURE on your ticket. IMO, having your PICTURE in Disney's database is certainly MORE of a violation of privacy than your finger geometry. (Remember it DOES NOT take a finger print!)

 

--Robb "It's not like it's a new system they have JUST put into place!" Alvey

[EpcotLova]

Who listens to the media anymore, anyway? All they do is take a biased position (mostly liberal) and blame everything on something else. They are always hypocritical and take everything way too seriously.

 

Yay for Disney, boo for Media.

[ECZenith]

I've never been to Disneyland, this is the first I've heard of that technology being used.

[robbalvey]

^ It's not at Disneyland, it's a Walt Disney World. The scanners have been there for years (maybe someone knows exactly when they started using them) and Sea World/Busch Gardens has been using them for at least a year.

 

It's similar to the scanner you would use when you go to your safe deposit box at the bank:

Here are the scanners at WDW. Used to be just for annual pass holders, but now everyone has to use them.

[it]

At sea world,if your a season pass holder you HAVE to stick your entire hand in a box to be sure that it's your season pass.But the fingering process is new.The only place i have seen that was in the bank.

[YoshiFan]

I used them for the first time last year when I had an annual pass and I didn't like them. Not so much for the privacy concern (I wasn't happy about it but not that upset like the people in the article was) but the fact that they didn't seem to work to well. It would happen at least every once out of 2 or 3 times that it wouldn't work and the employee just had to over-ride the system anyway. I saw it happening to others as well where the scanners didn't work and they had to over ride it for them as well. They claimed it was the heat that causes them to malfunction.

[jarmor]

busch gardens also does it...

[Twister II]

This is definately a violation of privacy, and pretty unneccessary.

 

Then all you drug dealers, under 18 pornlookers , and mass murders better not go to the park!

[DenDen]

Just my opinion... I could see season pass holders, and multy-day ticket purchasers being forced to scan, (ie, these types of tickets are not tranferable and protects that right.) But just to pay once to get in? That's down-right tracking people in an uncomfortable way. There's no value to it, other than data-mining. If I'm just going to a theme park for one day, it's not their business who I am. I pay cash!

 

I think that's the major issue this bored reporter is trying to make.

 

I can see it 5 years from now... "Hackers break into Disney database, steals fingerprint info". or "Government seizes fingerprints". What can you possibly do with it? Well, if you ever had a job that required a fingerprint, or are federally bonded, (I apply in both cases,) Disney could match these, identify you, and sell the information, to lets say, your insurance company, which will now raise your rates for "risky" behavior. (Another reason I don't use store discount/reward cards, they sell your information/buying habits. They need not know I like Corona, Wine, and junk food A LOT more than the average shopper!!!) Eventually, all this technology will tie in to your every day life, which can be a bad thing. It's not paranoia, I just don't wanna participate, and shouldn't be forced to.

[robbalvey]

^ I'm not sure if people who just buy a one day WDW pass actually need to finger the machine or not. But think about it, how many one day tickets do they sell compared to multi-day tickets?

 

Even the locals I know that go to WDW usually buy the Florida Resident Play-Four-Days pass.

 

--Robb

[disneyfan1313]

Just my opinion... I could see season pass holders, and multy-day ticket purchasers being forced to scan, (ie, these types of tickets are not tranferable and protects that right.) But just to pay once to get in? That's down-right tracking people in an uncomfortable way. There's no value to it, other than data-mining. If I'm just going to a theme park for one day, it's not their business who I am. I pay cash!

 

I think that's the major issue this bored reporter is trying to make.

 

I can see it 5 years from now... "Hackers break into Disney database, steals fingerprint info". or "Government seizes fingerprints". What can you possibly do with it? Well, if you ever had a job that required a fingerprint, or are federally bonded, (I apply in both cases,) Disney could match these, identify you, and sell the information, to lets say, your insurance company, which will now raise your rates for "risky" behavior. (Another reason I don't use store discount/reward cards, they sell your information/buying habits. They need not know I like Corona, Wine, and junk food A LOT more than the average shopper!!!) Eventually, all this technology will tie in to your every day life, which can be a bad thing. It's not paranoia, I just don't wanna participate, and shouldn't be forced to.

 

Just a couple of notes... It is on all passes including one-days. The reason why it is done on one days also is to prevent pass-backs of tickets. (i.e. tour group leader buys large group of tickets, collects them back up once group A gets in the park.. waits 3 hours and then uses same tickets to let group B in)

 

Second.. It is not a fingerprint! It is a measurement of the distance between 2 fingers and a few points on the outside of your fingers. It is an APPROXIMATE measurement that will flag if there is a large difference between people but not for example identical twins with a similar body type.

 

Third..the data is really not specific to you (see above approximation) but even the data that is stored is not connected in ANY WAY to any personal information. The only way it is tied together is by the transaction.

 

IMHO - I love data mining.. why? I want places I shop to know what I want just like I want my TiVO to send the data on the shows I watch to the networks..hopefully that means more products I like on the store shelves. There are some good reasons to be paranoid...but Ticket Tag (which has been in use since 1996 but apparently just entered the public mindset) is not one of them.

[moinab]

OK, one more time, they are not scanning your fingerprint.

 

What's the big deal? I honestly do not see the "invasion of privacy" thing. This is not information that can be used to track you or positively identify you, only to link you to your ticket.

 

We had FL resident seasonal passes for WDW last year. My only problem with the system, as YoshiFan mentioned, is that 2/3 of the time, it didn't work for me.

 

:?

[disneyfan1313]

I used them for the first time last year when I had an annual pass and I didn't like them. Not so much for the privacy concern (I wasn't happy about it but not that upset like the people in the article was) but the fact that they didn't seem to work to well. It would happen at least every once out of 2 or 3 times that it wouldn't work and the employee just had to over-ride the system anyway. I saw it happening to others as well where the scanners didn't work and they had to over ride it for them as well. They claimed it was the heat that causes them to malfunction.

 

Well..heat can be the problem.. but it is actually on the human end. Heat causes some folks hands to swell up quite a bit which will flag them as not having the correct biometrics.

[moinab]

^We were posting at the same time, but thank you for expressing what I couldn't come up with coherently at 6:30 AM.

[GAcoaster]

Disney (like all theme parks) is private property, and if they choose to scan fingerprints for admission, that's their perogative. No one forces anyone to go to a Disney park, and anyone who feels uncomfortable with being scanned should stay home.

 

Personally, I could care less. If it means people can't scam the park (and God knows there are hundreds of people who must try to every day), they should be able to do what's necessary. On top of that, if (and this is a big if) they had away to also have a way of checking a database for terrorists, child molesters, etc., don't you think it's a good idea to keep those people out of the park? Even if they don't, it could act as a deterrent.

[RBOrrell]

... The only other option I see is having to print your PICTURE on your ticket. IMO, having your PICTURE in Disney's database is certainly MORE of a violation of privacy than your finger geometry. (Remember it DOES NOT take a finger print!)

...

 

We have three Park Hopper - 5 day tickets from 1994 that did have our pictures on them. The first day we went to the park, we had to get a very bad digital picture taken at the TTC and they printed the park hopper with that picture on them.

[CoasterEricHP]

I dont see the big deal.. they dont have a copy of your fingerprintr because those machines dont use fingerprints..

 

Howeverrrr.. up the road at Universal, the lockers actually USE fingerprints. I'd be more worried about them then the "Biometric readers" at Disney.

 

I agree with Robb.. it must've been a REALLY slow news day. The only thing that concerns me about them is that guests are generally too dumb to follow the large, color coded numbers.. and it really slows down entrance.

 

Eric

[Twister II]

Simple solution to those who have a problem with it.

 

If you don't like it,

Don't go.

[bgwfreak]

What do they do if you don't want to scan your finger?

 

I personally do not like this at all. They can say all they want that they aren't scanning your finger print but I don't believe them.

[FlyingScooter]

finger printing, biometric scanning, topographical imaging and other thing they come up with. Bottom line, any of those things are easy to get from anyone of us.

For the most, getting your info/prints etc, is as easy as picking up your trash from in front of your house. DNA? no problem, that's in your trash too. Have a Cellphone? yep, they got you w/that too.

These are th kind of things that can drive you nuts if you let it.

Privacy?

I'm not sure that's existed here in quite a while.

[disneyfan1313]

IT IS NOT YOUR FINGERPRINT!!! Trust me! I am 100000000% sure of this! If you do not want to you can show a photo ID each time to match with your name and such but it is generally only used for people who are missing hands, etc.