Walt Disney World Resort in Florida is trialing a facial recognition admission system at its Magic Kingdom theme park, NFCW reported on Monday (March 29).
“If you return to Magic Kingdom park during our limited-time test, consider entering using the same designated entry points. Re-entering through the same lanes helps us better understand how the technology works,” Disney said, according to NFCW.
Visitors will not have to remove face masks to use the biometric facial recognition technology, but they will need to remove accessories such as sunglasses and hats. The company announced earlier in March that it would soon have options for Apple-using park goers to use their iPhone to access their digital entry pass.
The facial recognition technology is expected to be available through April 3 for park visitors opting in and there will be a separate admission line, Disney said. Participating guests will face the camera and position their park admission or MagicBrand close to the scanner, which will capture an image and convert it into a number.
Security measures will be used to help ensure protection from unauthorized access. All digital images and associated data will be tossed within 30 days of the trial period.
Facial recognition technology is also being used at the theme parks at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island — Ferrari World, Yas Waterworld and Warner Bros World. In addition to theme park entry, the new FacePass technology also offers wristbands to people staying at the Hilton Abu Dhabi.
The FacePass technology — developed by the Chinese biometrics hardware and software maker Anviz Global — doesn’t work through masks. The Japanese firm NEC, however, said it can reliably identify people wearing masks.
IBM said in June 2020 that it would no longer sell facial recognition tech because of racial profiling and abuse by law enforcement. San Francisco decided to ban facial recognition technology outright in 2019.
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