Disney is on the receiving end of a $5 million class action lawsuit in California, where the company is accused of using facial recognition technology on guests without clear disclosure.
Disney’s California parks, including Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, began using the technology last month to verify tickets. While separate entrances are in place for guests that wish to opt out of the facial recognition scan, the lawsuit alleges that these entrances are not enough to count as “meaningful notice.” According to the lawsuit, these entrances are easy to miss, and most guests are opting into facial scans without realizing it.
“When American families and their children visit a theme park, let alone a brand that’s as ubiquitous as Disney, they shouldn’t sacrifice their privacy rights when they enter,” says attorney Blake Hunter Yagman. “And as facial recognition becomes more common, and it proliferates in public places, especially, it’s more important than ever that we protect people’s privacy rights, because there are civil rights implications and privacy implications to collecting someone’s biometric information, especially without adequate consent, which is what we’ve alleged. So we look forward to litigating our case in court.”
