NEWS: Disney Hit With $5 Million Lawsuit Over Facial Recognition Technology

Disneyland has been hit with a $5 million lawsuit due to its new facial recognition technology.

Disneyland

A Disneyland guest is suing the theme park by alleging Disney didn’t properly disclose the use of the technology and that it violates privacy rights. The guest visited with her children in May 2026.

Summer Christine Duffield is claiming Disneyland and Disney California Adventure violated several laws on her May 10th visit to Disneyland. The claim alleges that privacy, competition, and consumer protection laws were broken because Disney is collecting “biometric data” from their visitors thanks to the facial recognition technology, according to The Orange County Register.

Facial recognition sign from April 2026

In the complaint, Duffield says, “Disney does not adequately disclose the use of their biometric collection, so consumers — which almost always include children — have no idea that Disney is collecting this highly sensitive data. Guests should be able to expressly opt in to this type of sensitive facial recognition technology with written consent — the onus of privacy rights should not be on the victim.” The technology has been in place since April 2026, and the lines are optional at the time of writing.

Disneyland entrance scanners

Disney did comment on the situation through spokesperson Jessica Jakary by saying, “We respect and protect our guests’ personal information and dispute the plaintiff’s claims, which we believe are without merit.” Disney’s use of facial recognition technology expanded in April 2026 to speed up lines and reduce ticket misuse. The optional lines that do not use this technology are marked by signs with a silhouetted person with a strike through it, as seen above.

Disneyland

Disney has shared that it deletes all biometric numerical values within 30 days of use. The only exceptions are when the data must be maintained for legal or fraud-prevention purposes. Disney previously tested facial recognition technology in Orlando back in 2021.

Disney World tested the technology in 2021

Facial recognition technology has recently expanded in places like airports, Universal theme parks, and more. We will be following this lawsuit as it develops. You can read about more Disney lawsuits below. Be sure to keep following DisneyFoodBlog for more Disney news and updates.

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