ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO) - If you've been to Disney World, Universal, or SeaWorld lately, then it's possible you gave-up personal information to the theme parks.
Putting your index finger on a biometric scanner is now a routine part of getting inside the parks, but are those scanners actually capturing your fingerprints? If so, what are they doing with them?
"I'm not a criminal. These kids aren't criminals," Pam Thompson told us outside the gates of Disney's EPCOT. Pam was one of many park visitors with questions about the mysterious finger-scanning machines at every entrance to the park.
It's not just Disney that uses the technology. There are similar "biometrics" at SeaWorld and Universal parks too.
Joseph Lewis brought his kids to Disney from Virginia and told FOX 35, "To be scanned to get in to an amusement park really boggles your mind doesn't it?"
"Well, it's a fingerprint for gosh sake," the Thompson family added. "What are they doing my fingerprint for? Nobody asked me if they could do that. I feel like a criminal, kind of… like, why are they fingerprinting me? And nobody answers that question."
FOX 35 heard plenty of questions. First, is it even a fingerprint taken at the parks?
We contacted Universal Parks asking a spokesperson, "What information is captured?" Universal responded to our questions with their own: "Why you are doing the story?" and "Are you reaching out to all local theme parks?"
Yes, we reached out, but didn't get far. When we asked SeaWorld about their finger-scanning technology, their senior communications manager only said, "Unfortunately, we are not able to work with you on this story."
Disney's spokesperson initially gave a similar response, telling us they, "would not be participating" in our story. However, only hours after we began promoting this report, we got a call from the world's largest theme park resort.
A Disney spokesperson told us their technology, "does not collect fingerprints," just numeric data to link you to your ticket, so no one else can use it. Disney says that fights fraud and protects visitors' investments.
But why was that so difficult to find out? And what about the silence of the other two parks?
Those questions didn't surprise Lillie Coney, the Associate Director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) in Washington, DC.
"The basic concern is people have a right to control their personal information," Coney told FOX 35. "So, the expectation is that it's used solely for controlling who uses a ticket."
In response, we asked, "If [the theme parks] are not spelling out exactly what they're doing -- what are we led to wonder? What are we led to assume?" Coney responded, "You can assume anything is happening. That's the problem. When you don't have policies in place that are spelled out and are transparent… that there's an obligation to adhere to those policies… then the consumer can expect any use."
"Fingerprint data already has a second use," EPIC's Coney continued. "It's used by law enforcement."
Law enforcement, the FBI, who else does have access to the large amounts of biometric information?
"Yeah, there's something not right about it," believes the Thompsons of Kentucky. "I'm not sure what it is. I'm not sure if it's government involved?"
Nationally, Disney Parks see nearly 200,000 people every day but says no one has access to that information. Plus, 55,000 visit SeaWorld parks and another 47,000 at Universal daily.
That's another big question: are theme parks sharing their visitors' information with the government? People like Joseph Lewis fear they are, "I think it's a hidden... I'm not one of these conspiracy people… I don't freak out about it, but I just think they're doing it as an easy way to get their information and get their mark on you without saying, ‘Hey, we want your thumbprint. We want to thumbprint everybody in the country.'"
The work of two Disney executives with the federal government raises more questions.
Following 9/11, Disney engineer Gordon Levin worked with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to develop a plan for biometrics at airports.
Soon thereafter, Disney Vice-President Kathleen McChesney joined an initiative of the Department of Homeland Security to develop "Fusion Centers." The centers aim to fight "terrorism and criminal acts" -- in part, by allowing the "personally identifiable information" collected by private business to be accessed by law enforcement.
FOX 35 asked EPIC's Lille Coney about those connections, "So, it is not too big of a leap to wonder if when you put your finger on that reader at the park that information could be sent to the FBI? Could be sent to the government?" Coney responded, "Because you don't have anything in writing saying that's not the case-- then clearly that could be the case."
The general privacy policies for all three parks confirm they do collect personal information and that it can be shared with third parties for security reasons.
That's one reason why EPIC wants the theme parks to clearly spell-out how they use the biometric data collected from millions of people every year. "And then there's transparency. There's security. There's accountability," says Coney. "Then you have a context that consumers can trust. Outside of that, there isn't a way to assure the consumer that nothing else is going on."
Disney says its biometric scanners aren't mentioned in their privacy policy because they collect no private information.
One thing you should know is that you do not have to put your finger on the scanners at theme park entrances. Instead, you can show photo ID to enter to the park -- even though there are no signs at Disney, Universal, or SeaWorld letting you know that's an option.
That option some park guests might start taking. "I won't touch it," says Disney visitor Chauncey Gallon. "I don't like it. I do not like it. "
Federal officials would not comment on our story either, saying they do not discuss potential security matters.
