When I looked up the phrase "Disney spying" on google after reading one article on dirtboxes, a military grade spying device, I assumed the rest of the articles I found would be related to that story in some way. I was mistaken. Almost every article that comes up is a different story about how Disney spies on its fans, whether its at the theme parks or on their websites. I found five separate articles on Disney spying in different ways. The articles discuss phone spying in the parks, wristbands that follow you around in the parks, facial recognition use in the parks, Disney owned websites tracking your internet use, and a device that spies on the use of internet by children to limit their time on certain websites. I won't discuss all of Disney's secretive tactics because that could take up an entire book; however, I will touch upon a few.
Article 1: http://gizmodo.com/disneylands-local-police-force-caught-secretly-using-po-1755671568
The first article I found, titled "Disneyland's Local Police Force Caught Secretly Using Powerful Phone Spying Tools" focused on dirtboxes. A dirtbox is a powerful device that Disneyland's police force was caught using to spy on the phones in Anaheim, and on those in the rest of Orange County. The police would spy from planes that fly over Disneyland and collect data from phones. The article mentions that Disney police did everything they could to keep the spying from the public and went about the use of these tools in a secretive way, just as the FBI and homeland security do. These devices mean that Disney can spy not only on the residents of the OC, but also on every tourist that passes through Disneyland from around the world. A law was passed in California requiring warrants for police to use dirtboxes. The author writes, "The terrifying news is that we need new laws to protect our privacy from the people supposedly protecting us." This quote really stuck with me; however, I do see the other side of it. If the police believe they are spying for the good of the people, they could be actually using that information to protect us. The police were wrong in the way they went about obtaining this information, because they know it is illegal. This just shows another example of Disney being too secretive with the public.
Article 2: http://www.salon.com/2013/01/17/disney_is_spying_on_you/
Disney website about MagicBands: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/plan/my-disney-experience/bands-cards/
The next article, titled "Disney is Spying on You!" discusses the "MagicBand." This wristband will be able to track your movement around the park. If you go onto the Disney World website, they do not mention the tracking. They talk about customizing the wrist band in fun different colors to make it seem like an accessory you want to wear, instead of a device that they really want you to wear. Instead of forced to wear, it is desired. The MagicBand enables you to unlock your hotel room door, enter water and theme parks, etc. No where does it say that Disney will be tracking your movement at all times. The secrecy has to stop. Disney honestly has such an aura of innocence that chances are, they could get away with half of the things they withhold from the public; however, their surreptitiousness makes their actions seem that much more provocative when their indiscretions come to light.
Article 3: http://www.oregonlive.com/geek/2015/11/disneys_circle_debate_how_far.html
This last article that I will be discussing is titled "Has Disney's Circle Device Taken Spying on your Kids' Online Activity Too Far?" This article compares Disney to a "Big Brother" type figure, or even more fittingly a "Big Parent." There is a new product called the "Circle" that limits your child's internet usage based on preset conditions. For example, if I put in that my daughter can only use Facebook for one hour, the device will track her internet usage and shut off the app when she reaches the time constraint. The author of this article argues that the device is parenting the kid for you. I do not agree with the author's point of view and do not even really see this device as "spying." The device isn't actually spying any more than a parent would be so I really don't see the issue with it. This is just a more effective way to monitor internet usage.
There are many more articles that discuss Disney's spying in a variety of ways. The common theme across them is secrecy. This "spying campaign" that Disney is following will certainly hurt its reputation. Disney is supposed to be the brand name that every family can trust in America, and now even around the world. If we can't trust Disney, its whole appeal is gone. If we don't trust Disney, we won't buy products like the Circle to basically parent our children. Trust is the foundation of the loyalty of its fans and once the trust is gone, we will see many fans go too.
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