Time Magazine Finds Out About MagicBands...

[Robo]

As for CC information, it is a room charge that you are doing when you purchase an item with the MB, no?

I don't know.

I've seen reports of it being both ways.
Charge card is connected directly to your MDE account
vs. charge card connected via your resort.

 

[surferdave]

When we was there in October they charged everything from the Mickey Orbs to my room until we hit the limit (around $1K), put that on the card as one charge to Disney and started my tab over.

 

[Greatfalls]

As many times as my MBs didn't work right away when touched directly to the pads, the idea that somebody could have a hidden sensor tracking every move is funny.

 

[dayvewc]

I don't know.

I've seen reports of it being both ways.
Charge card is connected directly to your MDE account
vs. charge card connected via your resort.

I think it is currently charged to the room, then a single charge when you hit your limit. With the functionality in the future of having it connected to the MDE account.

 

[Laketravis]

I think it is currently charged to the room, then a single charge when you hit your limit. With the functionality in the future of having it connected to the MDE account.

That's correct. We recently stayed for 17 days and after almost a couple of weeks of having no idea how much I had charged via my MB, I asked the hotel desk for a copy of my folio. It listed every single charge I had made, although it was the only way to review it at the time.

I told the CM it would be nice if I could see that charge activity via the app, and she said that a lot of people have made that comment so maybe that is something they will build into the app. Although, there are definitely advantages for them to NOT easily show you a running total of your charges!

 

[csmith041177]

I always get a laugh out of these types of stories. The only thing Disney would find out about my habbits is that 1) I love the Haunted Mansion; 2) I eat too many dole whips; and 3) I spend way to much money on my kids for souvenirs. I think I can live with that.

 

[erddig]

I have an image of a Harry Potter style Marauder's map of WDW and our names moving around......lol I would love to see that!!!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[AmyB2006]

I don't know. I've seen reports of it being both ways. Charge card is connected directly to your MDE account vs. charge card connected via your resort.

Both trips with mine and my parents' magic bands it was charged to the room, not separate charges on the cc. My mother has also gone out for a day trip with her magic band, for which she could use for entry with her AP, but couldn't charge anything.

 

[AmyB2006]

I have an image of a Harry Potter style Marauder's map of WDW and our names moving around......lol I would love to see that!!! Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

ROFl. That's an image.

 

[dburg30]

Disney knows so much about me after being there I really dont care if they put an implant in my body to track me. I thought about the lost parent thing when I first heard about it. I do hope that WDW considers that as a way to help re-unite lost parents.

 

[pbrim]

I wonder whats on the bands and how it is stored/accessed and more importantly secured.

If it can be built it can be hacked.

The bands don't have to be hacked, they are openly transmitting. But all they transmit is your ID number. I suppose they could be cloned. But what good would that do? In order to use a cloned MB to enter the park they would also need a matching fingerprint, not so easily cloned. To use your charging privileges they would need your pin. I'm not familiar with the process to use your dining credits, but I'm sure your MB alone won't do it.

To get your other info, like children's names or credit card numbers, they would have to hack the Disney computer system, just as before MBs were created. That is a far more difficult task, and a risk you take every time you use your credit card, go to an ATM, or do on-line banking. If someone were able to do so, I think they would be too busy grabbing all the credit card info they could get to worry about your kids names or how many times you rode TOT.

As for the NSA,if they are monitoring your emails, phone calls,and social media,I'm sure they are well aware you are going to WDW. Why should they care about your movements in the parks? (Which they could probably get from your cellphone GPS anyhow. And they already know your kids names.)

 

[surferdave]

I wonder whats on the bands and how it is stored/accessed and more importantly secured.

If it can be built it can be hacked.

You're basically walking around WDW with some cryptic alphanumeric number like HCDKD938547NDJ2 floating above your head.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

You're basically walking around WDW with some cryptic alphanumeric number like HCDKD938547NDJ2 floating above your head.

An encrypted number at that!

The RFID in the bands is likely non-volatile, burn once and done. No cloning possible.

Frankly, securitywise, magic bands are a huge step up from the old KTTW.

 

[jannylynn]

Deja Vu! It reminds me of a thread from last week. It's almost word-for-word.

I expect better writing and research from Time magazine.

 

[chmurf]

The funny thing is that, those "so called" journalist calling on NSA-esques systems at Disney, probably go through more checks, tracking, bio scans, credential checks, just to enter their newspaper headquarters, than we'll ever encounter in WDW even with a suitcase full of MBs...

 

[pilferk]

Even in the old system with a KTTW card, park ticket (and using FP-), plus using any CC for any purchases while at WDW, WDW could already easily track most park visitors. MB may make it more efficient but does not add much to this data gathering and is no different that CC, store reward cards or programs, and other such systems currently in place all over the US.

Sort of, kind of.

It's a lot harder to aggregate data from disparate sources. So, if you were using your KTTW card as your ticket, your room key, and charging everything to your room....then, yes...they could do some similar things. But not everyone (and maybe not even most people) were doing that.

For instance:

My family of 5 typically buys their tickets from UCT. We are DVC members, who stay on property, and we typically do not "room charge" everything. We either use specific credit cards or gift cards to pay at POS. We make a ton of ADRs. We have often used photopass. So to get any "tracking" for my family, you'd have to hit your resort system, your POS system (maybe, if we used a CC), your ADR system, your photopass system and you'd NEVER be able to track our tickets, because they never would have had a name linked to them in any Disney system. That's a lot of trying to link up disparate systems..and not all that easy.

Ignoring the active sensor abilities of the MB (meaning, they can LITERALLY track your position via RFID signal, if they so choose), MB's are going to "encourage" (as in, pretty much mandate) a single source tracking ability for most things. Because now, with the advent of FP+ (the carrot), you pretty much have to link your tickets to your MB's if you want access to it...and link all THAT within your DME profile. And the MB is your room key. And your FP- mechanism (assuming FP- stays around for a bit). And it acts as your link to "Memory Maker" (aka Photopass +). And your linked DME profile acts as your ADR tracker. so is an easy trace back. That's a LOT of data in, potentially, one place.

Charging still is optional...for now. We'll see if they start providing some sort of carrot to encourage charging back to your room....

Keep in mind, I'm not commenting on the "good/bad" of it all. As a professional IT person who does a lot of analytics, I think it's a neat concept. I'll have to see it in practice (8 DAYS!) to see if I like the function. I have no strong opinion on it's ethics.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

You know, if the RFID transmissions bug anyone, you could always build a mini Faraday cage to keep your band in. All it takes is duct tape and aluminum foil.

 

[Robo]

You know, if the RFID transmissions bug anyone, you could always build a mini Faraday cage to keep your band in. All it takes is duct tape and aluminum foil.

My mom's cousin Shirley was Queen Faraday just out of high school.

I used to love that old show.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

You know, if the RFID transmissions bug anyone, you could always build a mini Faraday cage to keep your band in. All it takes is duct tape and aluminum foil.

Or you could use the duct tape and foil to make yourself a hat to wear in the parks. Everybody knows that Disney can't track you if you wear a tinfoil hat.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Or you could use the duct tape and foil to make yourself a hat to wear in the parks. Everybody knows that Disney can't track you if you wear a tinfoil hat.

Go for it if it makes you happy, but I'm pretty sure you'd be easier to track, not less so.

Personally, it would mess up my hair.