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Thursday, March 25, 2021

Disney Undertakes Facial Recognition Technology Test

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

March 25, 2021

 

No doubt you’ve probably ordered groceries online in the past few months, done drive-up pick-ups at your local Walmart or Target, and had food delivery services drop your dinner outside your front door and just ring the bell to get your attention. In this era of COVID, every company is looking for ways to “go contactless” to deliver their services to customers. Disney World is firmly in that camp as well.



From MagicBands that just tap and go, to Mobil Ordering for meals at quick-serve locations, Disney has been working toward limiting the number of high contact points for their guests.  Some lucky iPhone and Apple Watch customers are even set to implement the first phase of the new MagicMobile service to integrate their devices into the My Disney Experience app process to limit touchpoints.


Now, Disney is testing out a new Facial Recognition Technology at the entrance to the Magic Kingdom.  Through April 23, 2021, guests can volunteer to help the Disney company improve this technology for possible future use.


The test is a limited 30-day test (with the length of the test window subject to change), and guests’ information will be discarded within 30 days after the conclusion of the test. The information will not be shared with third parties. Participation in the test is completely voluntary, and a separate lane at the park entrance has been set aside for guests who would like to take part in the technology test. (If you don’t want to participate, you can choose a different lane.)

 

In a nutshell, guests will approach the technology-linked tapstyles, stand on a special logo on the ground, face the camera on the tapstyle, hold their admission media (MagicBand or park admission ticket) up to the Mickey logo on the scanner, and wait momentarily while the process captures an image of the guest’s face. The technology will convert the facial image into a unique number, which is then linked with the form of admission the guest is using. Guests should remove accessories, hats and sunglasses before taking their snapshot, but should leave face masks on for safety. After your image is created, off you go into the park! 

 

If you come back to the park on another visit during your stay, you can reuse the same test lane to help Disney gather additional data on how the technology works.


Children under the age of 18 who wish to participate may do so with the consent and in the presence of a parent or guardian.


If you’d like further information on this technology test, head to the Disney World website.

 

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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.

 

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