Congress concerned over MagicBand security issues..

[mieshie75]

I am fine with disney knowing how I like to vacation. Hopefully they will send us offers and stuff catered to the way we vacation .

 

[donaldlovesdaisy]

Yup. Rather funny that people use cars with GPS, use their cell phone, or sign on-line and are blissfully unaware of how much data they are giving out. But Disney wants to track you in their parks and Whoa Nelly!

Seems pretty silly.

To me it is just a bunch of faux outrage from people on here not because they could care less about the information because if they did they would not use any of the things you stated but because the whole idea of FP +. I really don’t see the horror in WDW knowing that you may have just eaten a Dole Whip and bought a plush Mickey at the emporium and if they are going to send me a coupon or a suggestion on where to buy a particular item it is hardly an invasion of my privacy and nothing they could not have seen when linking my credit card to my room key was an option and using that to make purchases.

 

[mesaboy2]

What about a cell phone? It keeps track of us 24 hours a day and the information is stored.
O and lets talk about the navigation systems in our cars. They, as soon as you move, keep track of you and EVERY renting car had a tracking chip. They can follow you into Russia if needed.

Yup. Rather funny that people use cars with GPS, use their cell phone, or sign on-line and are blissfully unaware of how much data they are giving out. But Disney wants to track you in their parks and Whoa Nelly!

Seems pretty silly.

Portable GPS units (such as Garmins) in cars are not capable of tracking you and sending that data in real-time to anyone. I do not know enough about fully-integrated GPSs to say the same about them, however, but I expect the answer is the same.

 

[Princess Dolly]

The issue here is not whether or not you have a choice to use this technology. It's about Disney being open and honest about what information they will be collecting so that you can make an informed decision. Of course you have a choice - and like PP said, you can choose not to fly, drive a car, use a credit card etc. But those things still need to be regulated and companies need to let you know what consequences your choices have. This is no different.

Personally, I have no problem with Disney knowing my habits whilst in the park for promotional purposes. I think it will actually work to my advantage in the long run. This will allow Disney to have a much more accurate picture of their guests' preferences, and will hopefully lead to new developments that will actually interest me.

Great post and I agree.

 

[Kona65]

How I would love to get into the whole protect the children debate with you but I believe my thoughts and opinions on the subject would violate many of the rules here on this board.

Looks like you were right....TDBIASWS.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Plus, how many of you use Facebook? Facebook probably uses your information in more ways than Disney does right now.

Whether people use FB or not, it doesn't absolve Disney of the responsibility to be up front and transparent about what data they are collecting and how they will use it.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

I have not as yet formed a strong opinion on the brackels, one way or the other, but on the surface I dont see much difference between this or a cards. I really don't care if Disney knows how many hamburgers me and my family buys, or how many mickey ear hats. They can get that now as well!

However if this is what congress is worring about, when there is so much more important privcey issues and identity crime out there in the country, this just show how usless congress is and to what steps a congress person will go just to get his name in print.

We really need to vote them ALL out of office!


AKK

 

[Granny square]

I have not as yet formed a strong opinion on the brackels, one way or the other, but on the surface I dont see much difference between this or a cards. I really don't care if Disney knows how many hamburgers me and my family buys, or how many mickey ear hats. They can get that now as well!

However if this is what congress is worring about, when there is so much more important privcey issues and identity crime out there in the country, this just show how usless congress is and to what steps a congress person will go just to get his name in print.

We really need to vote them ALL out of office!

AKK

No kidding!

It is like when they get involved with sports!

 

[rajak73]

My main concern with the magic band is what he lists in #2. Will they track geolocation? And if so, is it only within the Disney resort area? Since guests are taking the bands home with them, that is what concerns me most. Maybe I don't understand them as well as some here, but ever since it was announced, I wondered about that.

I could just see the tracking info on me now after I get home, "Geez, they haven't left the house in 225 days and never move" If I'm staying on Disney property, they already have my address and that isn't hard to look up on google earth.

 

[hsmamato2]

Whether people use FB or not, it doesn't absolve Disney of the responsibility to be up front and transparent about what data they are collecting and how they will use it.

I agree..... you know,years ago,when Disney started fingerprinting people at the turnstiles,they 'reassured' us all that it was simply a measurement of the fingers or some such nonsense..... I personally feel squeamish about those stupid wristbands and all they entail....I also felt squeamish about the fingerprinting stuff(yes,it's actual fingerprint scans,we used some 7 year old tickets last month and accidentally mixed them up, they have our fingerprints in their records)
I assume at some point it might become impossible to opt out of these 'advances' if we want to visit there..... I know about how much info is everywhere, but I don't like to be lied to...

 

[ilovemk76]

Congress needs to balance the budget.

 

[jessthemix]

I can't decide how I feel about this. On the one hand, I'm very happy that a Congressman sees a concern and is reaching out for more information and details before jumping to conclusions with a ban on the new RFID system.

I'm also impressed by the questions he asks. I, too, would like to see the answers to these questions. This would be an excellent FAQ about the new system, as it seems many people share these same questions and concerns.

On the other hand, I'm a little disappointed that Congress is wasting time scrutinizing the Happiest Place on Earth, when there are clearly more important things to worry over.

Either way, I'm interested to see the answers to these questions. We are visiting the World in September, and my husband (a self-proclaimed conspiracy theorist) is a little weary about our being tracked throughout the park.

My opinion? Whatever it takes to make my visit more magical, I'm game!

 

[donaldlovesdaisy]

I have not as yet formed a strong opinion on the brackels, one way or the other, but on the surface I dont see much difference between this or a cards. I really don't care if Disney knows how many hamburgers me and my family buys, or how many mickey ear hats. They can get that now as well!

However if this is what congress is worring about, when there is so much more important privcey issues and identity crime out there in the country, this just show how usless congress is and to what steps a congress person will go just to get his name in print.

We really need to vote them ALL out of office!AKK

 

[donaldlovesdaisy]

Looks like you were right....TDBIASWS.

 

[bleeps]

The point I'm not seeing made yet on this thread (and sorry if I missed it):

The issue, from the perspective of the government's role, only BEGINS with Disney. Disney appears to be the first huge corporation out of the gate with this particular use of RFID technology. To say that it begins and ends with whether or not you choose to vacation at WDW misses the point: once Disney does it, it's out there and then has the potential to expand, exponentially, in the blink of an eye.

So perhaps Disney CAN configure it in such a way that it's not easily hacked/intercepted by criminals (as one small example). OK, how have they achieved that, and should that become a standard going forward in how credit card data is carried and separated from personal data? I won't belabor the point, but it goes on and on -- Markey and his team are doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing (regardless of whether you value that or not) -- they are keep tabs on what corporations are doing with data and looking ahead to what else might be coming.

If this works the way Disney intends, and meets existing requirements on privacy, security, advertising to children (regulated by law already whether you agree it should be or not), etc., then you can expect that it's the way the large grocery store and gas station chains will go, etc. etc. So are existing regulations sufficient? Is Disney setting the model that can scale up and be followed, or are there reasons to dig deeper and think about broader implications?

We're headed to WDW in June. Our expectation is that we'll be using the bracelets. We're hoping to understand more about how they'll work, what we can/should opt in and opt out of, and from a purely techo-geek perspective we're really interested to see how they are going to work. At the same time, we believe it is critically important to think about where the technology goes next, outside of Disney.

 

[Kaylasmomma]

i think the bands are stupid anyway. I in noway want to be wearing that thing all day. I dont wear jewelry to the parks so I wouldnt want to wear this thing..
so I TOO would love to know the answer to 1b

 

[jtowntoflorida]

On the other hand, I'm a little disappointed that Congress is wasting time scrutinizing the Happiest Place on Earth, when there are clearly more important things to worry over.

You know that letter wasn't written by an actual Member of Congress, right? It was penned by a Congressional staffer who is probably in his 20s and fresh out of college, and judging by the questions, may or may not have read some of the posts here before writing it. They probably took about 20 second to brief the Representative on the issues when they had him sign the letter. I'm sure he's got plenty of time to do all the other important things that a Member of Congress does. Like, um....

 

[Mary T in PA]

whether people use fb or not, it doesn't absolve disney of the responsibility to be up front and transparent about what data they are collecting and how they will use it.

this!

 

[jtowntoflorida]

The point I'm not seeing made yet on this thread (and sorry if I missed it):

The issue, from the perspective of the government's role, only BEGINS with Disney. Disney appears to be the first huge corporation out of the gate with this particular use of RFID technology. To say that it begins and ends with whether or not you choose to vacation at WDW misses the point: once Disney does it, it's out there and then has the potential to expand, exponentially, in the blink of an eye.

So perhaps Disney CAN configure it in such a way that it's not easily hacked/intercepted by criminals (as one small example). OK, how have they achieved that, and should that become a standard going forward in how credit card data is carried and separated from personal data? I won't belabor the point, but it goes on and on -- Markey and his team are doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing (regardless of whether you value that or not) -- they are keep tabs on what corporations are doing with data and looking ahead to what else might be coming.

If this works the way Disney intends, and meets existing requirements on privacy, security, advertising to children (regulated by law already whether you agree it should be or not), etc., then you can expect that it's the way the large grocery store and gas station chains will go, etc. etc. So are existing regulations sufficient? Is Disney setting the model that can scale up and be followed, or are there reasons to dig deeper and think about broader implications?

We're headed to WDW in June. Our expectation is that we'll be using the bracelets. We're hoping to understand more about how they'll work, what we can/should opt in and opt out of, and from a purely techo-geek perspective we're really interested to see how they are going to work. At the same time, we believe it is critically important to think about where the technology goes next, outside of Disney.

Bravo! This is probably the most rational, well thought out and explained post I've seen on this topic.

 

[dadddio]

For me, its the ethical question of whether I am comfortable with the intent to manipulate me, and more importantly, my child. For her age (10), she is very mature, but still unable to make decisions that are necessarily in her best interests.

If I were super concerned about corporate manipulation of my children and over-marketing to them, I might not take them to WDW. That being said, I'm not seeing how magic band markets to children beyond the fact that the child might want you to buy the princess upgrade band.

The issue here is not whether or not you have a choice to use this technology. It's about Disney being open and honest about what information they will be collecting so that you can make an informed decision.

But you do know the information that they are collecting. They are collecting the stuff that you give them; your CC info and the demographic info about your party. Plus they are collecting info about your experience in the park. What rides did you go on? How long were your waits? What did you buy with the band? What shops did you visit without making a purchase?

The thing is, this information is the same exact information that people who use KTTW cards currently give plus information that a company has every right to have. Certainly, a company has every right to know where a visitor is on their property and has every right to know what they have sold to a customer.

I'm not seeing the issue here, I guess.

My main concern with the magic band is what he lists in #2. Will they track geolocation? And if so, is it only within the Disney resort area? Since guests are taking the bands home with them, that is what concerns me most. Maybe I don't understand them as well as some here, but ever since it was announced, I wondered about that.

If you don't have an RFID reasder at your home that is hooked into Disney's computer system, then they don't know where you are.

I agree..... you know,years ago,when Disney started fingerprinting people at the turnstiles,they 'reassured' us all that it was simply a measurement of the fingers or some such nonsense.....

The spock sensor was just a measurement of the fingers. The finger pad is more like a fingerprint reader, but that still isn't a correct description of it. It identifies a few points and generates a number from the data, storing that number. This number is nothing like fingerprint data and isn't super unique. It should also be noted that, based on what I've read, you can opt out of the finger scanning entirely. You'll need to show an ID to prove that you are using your own ticket, but you won't get 'scanned'.

I assume at some point it might become impossible to opt out of these 'advances' if we want to visit there..... I know about how much info is everywhere, but I don't like to be lied to...

Who's lying to you?