You Freely Give Your Fingerprints To Disney, But Do They Sell Them To The FBI?

Every time you walk into a Walt Disney World Resort Parks, you give the company your fingerprints. But then, sadly, you have to leave Disney World and head back to the “Real World.” But what happens to your fingerprints after you’re gone? Are you unknowingly leaving a piece of you behind at the Mouse House? The answer might surprise you.

A quick internet search on the subject can take you to very dark places (which is true of just about any topic). A frequent belief is that Disney uses your fingerprints to track your movements and habits to sell that information to outside companies. A quick hole in that theory; Disney is following you. You use the MyDisney app for virtually everything, from getting a dinner reservation at Animal Kingdom to a ride at Magic Kingdom. There is, however, no evidence to suggest that Disney is selling that information.

But the theory that pops up the most is that Disney sells your fingerprints to the FBI to create a more extensive database for criminals and other undesirable activity. This Illuminati-like theory will have us believe that one of the world’s largest corporations is working with the FBI to try and hunt us down.

The reality is not nearly as exciting or devious. According to an article in Reader’s Digest, Disney pairs your fingerprint with your ticket and then immediately deletes your fingerprint. The reason: it cuts down on ticket scams. If your fingerprint is connected to your ticket, only you can use it. And you won’t be able to try reselling it after your trip.

Really though, it’s a business decision. Disney doesn’t want you to buy a 10-day ticket, use five days, and then try and sell the rest.

You can refuse to give security your finger. But then you’d have to go through an additional security measure. You will have to show a government-issued photo id to get in.

So, the next time you’re at Walt Disney World, don’t worry about them selling your fingerprint. Worry about them tracking you through your mobile device instead. Or even using facial recognition software. Just kidding, or maybe not. That’s another article.