Disney Biometrics
April 9, 2006 | 6 Comments
One of the oddest things I saw this year while at SunGard Higher Education’s Summit 2006 was the biometric finger scanners they now use at Disney. Yes, you read that right, Disney is now using biometrics to help crack down on people sharing multi-day passes and other gate fraud. Disney softens this fairly invasive technology by branding it “ticket tag”.
While there I asked the gate keeper what the machine actually does. He explained that the dimensions of your fingers are measured, and the first time this data is encoded on the magnetic stripe on the back of the card. On each subsequent visit, a new measurement is compared against what is on the card. He then assured me that the data is not stored in a central Disney database. Still a bit curious, I asked about reliability. He informed that they get their fair share of failed scans, especially on people with arthritis or other conditions which can cause a variation in someone’s finger dimensions.
I found this description on how you use the machine:
You insert your pass into the park entrance turnstyle just like everyone else. After you have inserted your pass, you put your index and middle fingers into the scanner located atop the turnstyle. Once your fingers are inside the scanner, you will feel two small rubber knobs. Place your fingers so that the rubber knob is between the index finger and the middle finger. *LIGHTLY* bring them together so they touch the rubber knob and push your hand all the way in so the web part between your index and middle fingers touches the small plastic spindle at the very front. Do not squeeze the rubber knob tight.
A quick blurb about how finger geometry works:
finger or hand scanning systems capture the physical, geometric characteristics of an individual’s hand – with most systems having the capacity to do so in less than a second. From these measurements, a profile or “template” is constructed which will be used to compare against subsequent readings by the user.
It is important to note this is not fingerprinting. I think in many ways it is similarly invasive, and if Disney is in fact storing and cataloging all this data it is far scarier than the police having your fingerprints. I was very surprised how few people seem to ask the gate attendants what is going on. Everyone accepts this a necessary act for entering the park. If this does bother you, you can refuse and show an ID card instead. I’d be curious how many people do… I bet it is less than .01%.
Also of interest are these further discussions:
Mickey Prints
Biometrics at the Disney Gates
Tags: biometrics, disney, disney world, finger geometry, identity, security, ticket tag, walt disney