Disney landed squarely in the hot seat yesterday, as the U.S. Congress demanded that the company answer questions regarding magic bands that guests will use in conjunction with My Magic+.
In a letter addressed to CEO Robert Iger, Edward Markey, (D- Mass) co-chairman of the Congressional Bi-Partisan Privacy Caucus, required that Disney provide information about the new bracelets, which implement RFID technology, no later than February 14. Congressman Markey’s chief concerns centered around the privacy of guests and how information harvested from use of the bracelets would be put to use — particularly data collected from children. Markey states in the letter: “As a Co-Chairman of the Congressional Bi-partisan Privacy Caucus, I am deeply concerned that Disney’s proposal could potentially have a harmful impact on our children.” For the full letter, click here.
Disney has released a statement regarding the letter:
MyMagic+ is a completely optional program. Disney’s privacy policies and practices are fully transparent and guests can choose whether or not to participate in MyMagic+. In addition, guests control whether their personal information is used for promotional purposes and no data collected is ever used to market to children. MyMagic+ is designed to make a visit to Walt Disney World more personalized, seamless and customized than ever before.
We expect that further detail and specific answers to Congressman Markey’s questions will be forthcoming, and will let you know more developments as they arise.
Do you have privacy or security concerns with the advent of My Magic+? Let us know your thoughts in comments below.
