The Happiest Place on Earth is rolling out facial recognition technology to expedite park entrance and catch out fraudsters.
Guests “may choose to use entrance lanes equipped with facial recognition technology” at bothDisneyland Park and Disney California Adventure, where cameras capture an image and convert it into “unique numerical values” to verify identity,according to the company.
The system compares those values for a match and, in most cases, deletes them within 30 days.Disneylandofficials say the optional technology is designed to streamline entry while preventing fraud.
The entertainment giant saysparticipation is voluntary, noting that traditional entry lanes without biometric scanning remain available.
In those lines, cast members manually verify tickets instead of relying on facial recognition. The company also emphasized that “the security, integrity and confidentiality” of guest data is a priority, though it acknowledged that “no security measures are perfect or impenetrable.”
At the parks, reactions from visitors were mixed.
“Pretty much every other place is doing the same thing, John LeSchofs, 73, a frequent parkgoer who comes every six weeks,told the Los Angeles Times.“The police, the government, they’re all using facial recognition. I don’t think it’s going to stop.”
Others expressed hesitation, particularly around transparency and consent. Robert Howell, 30, visiting from Virginia, said he was unaware of the technology until arriving at the park.
“It’s a little scary because it’s not clear how it’s going to be used,” Howell said. “With TSA I know that’s an option that you can opt out, but I didn’t realize you could here so I just did it.”
For some families, concerns center on how the technology affects children. Sandra Contreras said she felt uneasy when it came to her young daughter.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
