Disney’s Face ID
The Happiest Place on Earth just got a bit creepier. The Walt Disney Company announced this week that visitors to its Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park will have the option to “choose” to enter the park through a lane that’s equipped with face recognition technology. While the company says subjecting yourself to face recognition is “entirely optional,” it notes that “you may still have your image taken” if you enter the parks through lanes without face recognition systems. Disney’s face recognition, like many others, works by converting images of people’s faces into a numerical value, which can then be used to match faces in other images. The company says these numerical values will be deleted after 30 days, “except in cases where data must be maintained for legal or fraud-prevention purposes.”
This is exactly the kind of “opt-in” that makes me want to chuck my churro. The language itself is designed to lull you into a false sense of security. “You may still have your image taken” – that’s a classic. It’s like saying you can decline the free samples at Costco, but they’ll still wave that tiny hot dog in your face. It’s the subtle pressure, the implication that you’re the odd one out if you don’t play along. And 30 days of data retention? Coupled with exceptions for “legal or fraud-prevention purposes”? That’s a whole lot of wiggle room for them to keep your mugshot on file for reasons they deem fit, which, historically speaking, have always leaned toward profit and control. Who benefits here? Disney, obviously. More data, more personalized marketing, more control over who is ‘in’ and who is ‘out’ – or at least, who is noticed.
The NSA’s AI Bug Hunt
Meanwhile, across the digital trenches, the National Security Agency is apparently putting AI to work sniffing out vulnerabilities. Anthropic’s Mythos Preview AI model, so potent it’s been kept under tight wraps, has reportedly found its way into the hands of Uncle Sam. Bloomberg News and Axios are spilling the beans, stating the NSA has been using Mythos to poke holes in Microsoft’s software. Apparently, it’s been “impressed with its speed and effectiveness.” Well, color me shocked. Who knew that an AI designed to find exploitable bugs would be good at finding exploitable bugs?
Now, here’s the real kicker: this whole kerfuffle is happening despite the Department of Defense’s supposed ban on Anthropic’s tools. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dropped the hammer back in February, citing “supply chain risk.” Yet, here we are, with the NSA, a part of the DOD, apparently thumbing its nose at the ban. Is it because the ban is a six-month transition? Or is Mythos so good that it’s making the NSA rethink its position, or at least try to carve out an exception? This is the classic Silicon Valley-meets-Intelligence-Community dance: a tool is too powerful to ignore, so rules get bent, definitions get massaged, and everyone involved claims they’re operating within the new, ever-shifting paradigms.
Scattered Spider’s Young Guns
And then there’s the ongoing saga of Scattered Spider, the ransomware group that’s been hitting major players like MGM and Caesars. What’s always stood out about these guys isn’t just the damage they inflict, but their demographics: often young, English-speaking hackers from countries that apparently do cooperate with US law enforcement. Which, naturally, means they tend to get nabbed. The latest alleged member to join the club is… well, the original article cuts off here, which is just thrilling for a journalistic deep dive. But the implication is clear: the pipeline of youthful, ambitious hackers is showing no signs of drying up, even with the occasional high-profile bust. It makes you wonder who’s actually profiting from the endless cycle of ransomware attacks and the subsequent cybersecurity spending spree. Hint: it’s not the victims.
A Historical Parallel for Disney?
You know, this whole Disney face recognition thing reminds me of the old days, back when every movie theater started installing those clunky, expensive “automatic ticket takers” that were supposed to streamline things. But instead, they just became another point of friction, another thing to make you feel like you were being processed rather than entertained. Disney’s taking that a step further, turning the entrance into a biometric checkpoint. It’s less about magic and more about data collection, pure and simple. And who do you think is actually paying for this convenience? Not Disney. They’re getting paid in data.
The NSA’s Mythos situation? It’s a bit like a spy movie where the agency develops a super-weapon, then gets told by its own bosses not to use it, only to then secretly deploy it because, well, it’s too damn effective. It highlights the inherent tension between security mandates and the relentless pursuit of technological advantage. The DOD ban on Anthropic is a statement, a policy decision, but the NSA’s actions, if true, suggest that operational necessity and the allure of cutting-edge AI can sometimes override bureaucratic directives. That’s not necessarily a bad thing for finding bugs, but it does raise questions about consistency and accountability within government agencies when it comes to adopting new technologies.
Scattered Spider’s methods, relying on what seems to be a readily available pool of young, talented (albeit criminal) talent, also points to a broader economic question. Are we creating an environment where the quickest path to significant financial reward for a certain demographic involves illicit cyber activities? And if so, what does that say about the legitimate tech economy’s ability to absorb and channel that talent productively? The cycle of arrests and new recruits feels less like a deterrent and more like a revolving door, lubricated by the immense profitability of modern cybercrime.
The Underlying Question
So, what’s the common thread here? It’s the relentless march of technology, often outpacing our ability to understand its implications, and a commercial ecosystem that’s always eager to monetize the next big thing, regardless of the privacy or security fallout. From theme parks tracking your face to intelligence agencies exploiting AI for bug hunts, the lines are blurring, and the ultimate beneficiaries are rarely the individuals whose data is being harvested or whose systems are being probed.
Who is actually making money here? Disney is making money on future marketing and behavioral insights. The NSA is using a tool that could save the government money on security fixes (or potentially enable offensive operations). And the ransomware groups? They’re making money by extorting it directly. It’s a whole ecosystem, and most of us are just the users, or the targets.
Is Disney’s Face Recognition Really Optional?
No, not entirely. While Disney says you can opt out of the facial recognition lane, they also state that visitors entering through non-recognition lanes may still have their image taken. This suggests a pervasive data collection strategy rather than a true opt-in system. The data is also retained for 30 days, with exceptions for legal and fraud prevention, leaving room for extended usage.
What Does Anthropic’s Mythos AI Do?
Mythos is an AI model designed to identify exploitable bugs and vulnerabilities in software. It’s reportedly highly effective, leading to its restricted access to prevent malicious use. The NSA is using it to find security flaws in systems like Microsoft’s.
How Are Scattered Spider Hackers Caught?
Scattered Spider is known to recruit young, English-speaking hackers. While the article doesn’t fully detail the latest arrest, the group’s members are often apprehended because they are based in countries that cooperate with US law enforcement. This suggests a pattern of eventual capture for many involved.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does Disney’s face recognition tech actually do? Disney’s system converts facial images into numerical data to match faces, which is then used for entry identification. They state the data is deleted after 30 days, unless needed for legal or fraud-prevention purposes.
Will this face recognition affect my Disneyland experience? Potentially. While the specific lane is presented as optional, Disney indicates images might still be captured in other lanes. The aim is to streamline park entry while also collecting visitor data.
Is the NSA’s use of Anthropic’s AI legal given the DOD ban? It’s unclear. The NSA, as part of the DOD, is reportedly using Anthropic’s Mythos AI despite a declared ban. This could be during a transition period, an exception, or a de facto disregard for the policy due to the tool’s perceived effectiveness.
