Disneyland recently upgraded the entrance to its theme park by expanding the use of technology in an effort to decrease entry lines. Long lines at Disneyland’s entrance are a common problem, especially during peak travel times of the year.
But the use of this new technology, unfortunately, made the theme park the target of a new class action lawsuit. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including the details of the newest Disneyland nighttime show, plus new restaurants coming soon.
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Disneyland Target of Class Action Lawsuit
Disney recently began using facial recognition technology at theme park entrances to verify tickets in April. Both entrances for Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure are using the technology, with signs posted at the entrances to the Esplanade and Mickey’s Friends Parking Structure, giving guests the option to opt out.
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When guests enter the parks, they scan their park ticket under the screen, and if it’s the first time the guest has used their ticket, the computer will then scan their face and link it to the ticket. After the first scan, the guest can enter the park with just a facial scan. The use of this technology cuts down on lines as the facial scans are quicker than waiting for guests to pull out paper tickets or access them on their cellphones.
Now this new technology is being named as the cause of a new lawsuit against Disney that alleges they are violating privacy, competition, and consumer protection laws. The complaint filed in California federal court on May 15 alleges that Disney “does not adequately disclose the use of their biometric collection, so consumers – which almost always include children – have no idea that Disney is collecting this highly sensitive data.”
While guests can opt out of the technology and are notified of this via the signs at the entrance of the park, the lawsuit alleges that these notices aren’t sufficient. The complaint goes on to say, “Guests should be able to expressly opt in to this type of sensitive facial recognition technology with written consent – the onus of privacy rights should not be on the victim. Given how sensitive facial recognition data is, explicit written consent should be required to protect the privacy guests at Disney Theme Parks.”
Businesses can use facial recognition in the state of California, but some rules must be followed, like providing customers with a disclosure of use with the ability to opt out and providing information on how the biometric data will be used, stored, and shared.
The signs in the Esplanade notifying guests of the use of facial recognition technology read, “Disneyland Resort park entries use facial recognition technology. Use of these lanes is optional. If you do not wish to participate, please enter the line lane with the following overhead signage.”
Disney does disclose in its privacy policy that the data they obtain from facial recognition technology is disposed of within 30 days unless it is required for legal or fraud prevention purposes. This claim is being challenged by the lawsuit, which alleges that the statement “simply cannot be true given the biometric information is compared to when guests first bought tickets or annual passes and associated their pictures with those tickets or passes.”
The class action lawsuit is seeking at least $5 million and aims to represent Disneyland guests who have been subject to facial recognition.
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The Hollywood Reporter was the first to share news of the lawsuit and also sought a request for comment from Disney, but the company did not respond.
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