Disneyland deploys face recognition technology at park entrances

The Walt Disney Company announced this week that visitors to Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park will have the option to enter through a lane equipped with face recognition technology. While Disney says the face recognition lanes are entirely optional, it notes that visitors entering through other lanes may still have their images taken. Disney's face recognition system works by converting facial images into numerical values, which can then be used to match faces in other images. The company says these numerical values will be deleted after 30 days, except in cases where data must be maintained for legal or fraud-prevention purposes. Face recognition systems are already widely used across the United States and the world. Law enforcement agencies frequently use the technology, but it has also proliferated into everyday aspects of life, from airports to MLB and NFL stadiums to Madison Square Garden. The Disneyland deployment raises questions about consent and data retention at one of the world's most visited tourist destinations.