Walt Disney World now fingerprints visitors

[mickey's RFID]

Walt Disney World fingerprints visitors
Disney is now fingerprinting visitors to Walt Disney World as part of its ticket-fraud prevention scheme. They're not being very transparent about it, either: there are no signs posted about the data collection or retention, and Disney's official line is that they're not collecting fingerprints, just mathematical representations of same.

But those mathematical representations are exactly what you need if you want to join up two fingerprint databases, like Disney's and the NSA's -- while the NSA may store photos of fingerprints, they work with hashes of them, using those mathematical representations to compare and sort prints. Saying that you only store the mathematical representations of a fingerprint is like saying that you only store the mathematical representations of a JPEG, not the actual paint, canvas and frame that it depicts. It's true, but it sure doesn't mean that you haven't captured something important.

Now that our national immune system has begun to attack us in a terrible anaphylactic spasm -- indiscriminate NSA wiretaps, meaningless TSA security theater, secret aviation rules and no-fly lists, "free speech zones," suspension of habeas corpus and all the rest -- it's absolutely irresponsible to gather this kind of information and leave it where the savage toddlers of the national security apparat might find it and wreak havoc with it.

For me, the worst part of this is that it conditions us to get used to being treated like crooks. If you were asked for a fingerprint when you bought a doughnut, you'd rightly leave the store. Why should an amusement park get a walk?


For years, Disney has recorded onto tickets the geometry and shape of visitors’ fingers to prevent ticket fraud or resale, as an alternative to time-consuming photo identification checks.

By the end of September, all of the geometry readers at Disney’s four Orlando theme parks, which attract tens of millions of visitors each year, will be replaced with machines that scan fingerprint information, according to industry experts familiar with the technology...

However, the use of this technology has riled privacy advocates, who believe Disney has not fully disclosed the purpose of its new system. There are no signs posted at the entrance detailing what information is being collected and how it is being used. Attendants at the entrance will explain the system, if asked.

But Disney's Prunty downplayed privacy issues, saying the scanned information is stored "independent of all of our other systems," and "the system purges it 30 days after the ticket expires or is fully utilized." Visitors who object to the readers can provide photo identification instead – although the option is not advertised at the park entrance...

Coney fears Disney could share the fingerprint information. "If they maintain that data, it can be used for anything," Coney said. "If law enforcement shows up, they can gain access to it." Disney's privacy policy says that it may disclose personal information when doing so can help "protect your safety or security."

from boingboing:
http://www.boingboing.net/2006/09/01/wa ... ld_fi.html

[Mr. Toad]

When I went in early 2004 I refused to give it to them and they accepted that.

[reyquila]

What's the issue?? If you have done no wrong there is nothing to worry about!!

[Timon/Pumbaa fan]

Now we know the truth, Mr. Toad is a crimial!

Probably stole a moter-car!

[Loomis]

What's the issue?? If you have done no wrong there is nothing to worry about!!

Well, it is a bit more worrying than that.

What is the point of all the data collected? After all, Disney is an independent company collecting people's names and fingerpritns. It is a privacy and civil liberties issue. This is the US, land of the free, and most people don't like going through the "criminal process" of fingerprinting ESPECIALLY if they have done nothing wrong. Added to that is that we don't know exactly where the data is being stored, or what it is being used for.

When I flew to the US last year, naturally I hadn't done anything wrong, but it was a government initiative that I be digitally fingerprinted and have my photo taken. Now, at the time, my major concern was what I'd look like in a photo after having spent nearly 20 hours in planes and airports. However, the more I thought about it, I wondered where that information was being held. The justification is that ultimately, it will mean speedier service for frequent flyers, and closer monitoring of 'suspicious' behaviour. It's the government/FAA, and they've had a PRETTY BIG security breach in the last 5 years.

However, when private firms like Disney start doing the same thing, I worry. I'm going to be visiting the US again in about 2 years. I wonder how many times my ID will be checked in that time.

[FantasiaMan]

Do you think Bush is behind all this? It seems like a suggestive security measure to me, like the phone breach fiasco. But that's just me.

[Loomis]

Do you think Bush is behind all this? It seems like a suggestive security measure to me, like the phone breach fiasco. But that's just me.

I wouldn't necessarily say Bush directly, but it is the 'culture of fear' that he has helped foster over the last few years that has led to private firms taking these actions.

All you have to do now is mention 'terror threat' and images of 9/11 come to mind. People simply don't feel safe because the media and the government continue to tell us to be alert. On some level, this may simply be Disney's attempt at making their visitors "feel" safe.

[Fflewduur]

On some level, this may simply be Disney's attempt at making their visitors "feel" safe.

I'd really like to believe that. Not just because the use of technology to virtually eliminate privacy <i>totally</i> creeps me out, but because the parks' visible efforts since 9/11 <i>haven't</i> done much to make me feel safe. <i>Er</i>. Safer, I mean. Because I'm generally too busy feeling other things at WDW to feel unsafe.

But I remember when you never used to see security walking the parks. Seeing them now doesn't make me feel more protected against anything I need protection from at WDW. And the whole bag-check thing at the gates (which my family and surely many other have taken to calling "customs")---how truly useful is that? I know the company has no real interest in making public the statistics regarding crime on the property, but I'd be surprised if they could tell us anyone or anything really dangerous has been excluded by bag-search at the gate. (I wonder---will they start asking for lotion bottles?)

Of course, if any major threat HAS been eliminated by any of these measures---well, they really don't want us to think too much about that either. (Last incident I remember...was it '96? I was living in Casselberry at the time; I think some teenagers got arrested who were planning on going in and shooting up the place?)

A disquieting thought about the fingerprinting has occurred to me. Besides being used to violate someone's civil liberties, and besides playing a role in actually preventing something catastrophic at the parks---forensically, the information gathered would be invaluable in identifying victims as well as perpetrators. You know, after the fact. I'm sure that's played a part in their consideration. And I can't imagine how difficult an investigation that would be. The Magic Kingdom sees what, an average of 40,000 visitors a day? I've lived in towns with smaller population than you can pack into Fantasyland an hour after rope drop.

[darth_deetoo]

Really don't see a problem, you're not being harmed in collection of this data, if you've not done anything wrong, it's not going to be used against you in anyway. Just get over it. It's not the corporations and the governments you should be seeking to blame, it's the terrorists who have led us to this.