I seem to be posting one post after another these days about technology and privacy in the real world.  I’m not sure if I’m completely weirded out by it all yet but I am learning a lot about how different corporations are tracking us. I’m still unsure about how I feel about it all but I’m at least happier to be a little more knowledgeable on the subject. The most recent creepy tracking device I have discovered are the Disney magicbands.  At first it appears to be very harmless and maybe it is to most.  If you are going to Disney World you now have the choice to wear a wrist band. The magicband is your ticket into the park, key to your room and can be swiped to purchase things because it is linked to your credit card.  I suppose on one hand it’s really nice for you as the customer because you don’t need to carry a wallet and it makes things a little more convenient (except for the fact that your kids might be buying things left and right with your credit card).  On the other hand it is a genius marketing strategy that is constantly collecting data on your every move while in the park.

When you sign up for the magicband Disney asks for your name, age, sex, favorite disney character and so on so that they can track your every move and categorize it properly.  This way if you are standing in line for a long time they can send your child’s favorite character over to say Hi or even Happy Birthday to distract them while you’re waiting. Disney will be especially likely to help you out in this way if they can see that you are a big spender in the park.  The amount of data that Disney can track on you and your families every move is endless and they can use it to tailor experiences for you and others in the future.

Some are comparing Disney to the NSA with their new fancy tracking devices.  I don’t know enough about it but I can certainly see some the the parallels.  If you have read any of my other posts recently you would see that I have been reading up on privacy in the real world a bit more than cyberspace privacy.  The common thread I see is that nothing is for free. I’m happy to be reading about tactics such as the magicbands because I’m more aware and cautious about what is happening to the information that I am giving out.  Often times, at least to me, the trade off of what is being offered is not worth the sharing of personal information.  I really don’t know enough about what companies are doing with some of my information to feel comfortable.  I hope that in the future some of this will be made more clear to the consumers and that the the choice of what to share and when to share it, at least in the real world, will continue to be a choice.