Walt Disney World Tracks Guest Movements Through Various Technologies
Visitors to Walt Disney World may be leaving behind a digital trail without even realizing it. The resort uses various technologies to track guest movements, and most of this tracking is done for data collection purposes rather than surveillance.
The first method of tracking guests begins at the park entrance. Disney uses biometric technology that captures an image of a visitor's finger and converts it into a unique numerical value, which is then discarded. This information helps Disney understand attendance patterns and can also be used to prevent ticket fraud.
MagicBands, which are wearable devices provided to guests as part of the Disney experience, can also track movements within the park. While these bands don't continuously transmit location data, they do use long-range sensors at select locations to determine a guest's location when they interact with certain elements or make purchases.
The My Disney Experience app is another tool that collects location information from guests who enable location services on their devices. This can help guests navigate the resort and utilize location-based features within the app, but it also means that Disney has access to this location data.