Medallion Net - Serious Privacy Concerns

[DrivesLikeMario]

In the Medallion, you can also "Hide your location from other guests".  Just like on CC - you can hide posts by a specific person.  I did this years ago and it's nice to have that capability.

[Bollycats]

I have never had issues with privacy. Until my first cruise on Princess where they had our names on paper tags outside the door. No one needs to know there is a single woman or 2 women in the room for safety reasons.  Instead of Ms. Susan Jones why can't it read S. Jones? I would feel a lot more comfortable. For some reason this really bothers me yet I have no other privacy concerns in daily life. After our first cruise my mother pulled the paper nametag out and gave it to me for a souvenir since I complained about it so much!

[brisalta]

On 10/20/2022 at 6:28 PM, Lizabu said:

You can put a picture of your dog as the display pic. 

 

A dog with a bad hair cut!

[brisalta]

On 10/21/2022 at 4:26 AM, Meridian2uk said:

I know, I have never suggested they are linked??? 

 Hmmm. Look at the topic you set

[runner2013]

On 11/13/2022 at 4:01 PM, DrivesLikeMario said:

In the Medallion, you can also "Hide your location from other guests".  Just like on CC - you can hide posts by a specific person.  I did this years ago and it's nice to have that capability.

How do you 'hide' the location? 

TIA

[MissP22]

Just in case you haven't been scared enough by having you name displayed, consider this:

If by somehow you manage to lose your medallion anyone that finds it can locate you room and gain entrance to your cabin by using any of the display boards scattered around the ship even without your name posted outside your door. 

Your medallion will remain activated until you report it lost.

[Lizabu]

2 hours ago, runner2013 said:

How do you 'hide' the location? 

TIA

It’s in the app. Under Ocean Compass.

 

[MissP22]

4 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

I read the following on the Princess Medallion Q&A.  I have no idea how his would work at the cabin door.  

 

"Can someone else use my Medallion to get into my room or charge onboard purchases to my account?"

"If the profile photo does not match the guest using the device, then stateroom access will not be granted and onboard purchases will not be approved."

No one can use your medallion to charge your account since your security photo shows up when a charge is made (assuming the clerk checks the image on her device).

If a lost medallion is found by anyone they could get access to you cabin because there is no check other than having the medallion in their possession. The display boards give anyone your cabin location and directions if they have the lost medallion in their possession.

Lost medallions should be reported immediately. 

[ldubs]

1 minute ago, MissP22 said:

No one can use your medallion to charge your account since your security photo shows up when a charge is made (assuming the clerk checks the image on her device).

If a lost medallion is found by anyone they could get access to you cabin because there is no check other than having the medallion in their possession. The display boards give anyone your cabin location and directions if they have the lost medallion in their possession.

Lost medallions should be reported immediately. 

 

And yet, Princess says cabin access can't happen unless the profile photo matches.   I thought you had a very valid point and was surprised to read this Q&A item.  I have no idea how it could work.  Facial recognition at the cabin door seems kind of over the top.   Scratching my head on this one.   

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, ldubs said:

 

And yet, Princess says cabin access can't happen unless the profile photo matches.   I thought you had a very valid point and was surprised to read this Q&A item.  I have no idea how it could work.  Facial recognition at the cabin door seems kind of over the top.   Scratching my head on this one.   

I don't believe that they ever said cabin access required a photo match to the security picture. All that's required is having an authorized medallion. 

[antsp]

3 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

And yet, Princess says cabin access can't happen unless the profile photo matches.   I thought you had a very valid point and was surprised to read this Q&A item.  I have no idea how it could work.  Facial recognition at the cabin door seems kind of over the top.   Scratching my head on this one.   

There is no facial recognition used to enter your room, you can hear the cabin door unlock sometimes before you are even near it. 

[Rick&Jeannie]

While it is certainly possible to access a cabin other than your own if you have found an unreported medallion...you would have to roam up and down EVERY deck past/near EVERY cabin door to unlock it.  As long as you are timely in reporting your lost medallion the odds on this being successful are very slim.

[MissP22]

24 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

While it is certainly possible to access a cabin other than your own if you have found an unreported medallion...you would have to roam up and down EVERY deck past/near EVERY cabin door to unlock it.  As long as you are timely in reporting your lost medallion the odds on this being successful are very slim.

You would think that would be true, but it's not. Princess has made it very convenient for everyone to find their cabin by just going to any of the display boards located around the ship (also on each elevator landing) and hold your medallion to the  medallion spot and it will give you a map with a highlighted route back to your cabin.

No pin or password needed. 

 

[ldubs]

3 hours ago, MissP22 said:

I don't believe that they ever said cabin access required a photo match to the security picture. All that's required is having an authorized medallion. 

 

Look at Princess' wording in italics in post #59.  Maybe I'm reading it too literally or something, IDK.   Except for that wording I tend to agree with you -- bring my medallion by my door and it will unlock I think.  

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, antsp said:

There is no facial recognition used to enter your room, you can hear the cabin door unlock sometimes before you are even near it. 

 

I agree.  Am I reading their comment incorrectly?  Here it is again below.  The part about purchases makes sense.   Maybe they mean something else when they say stateroom access will not be granted.    

 

From Princess Q&A: 

Can someone else use my Medallion to get into my room or charge onboard purchases to my account?"

"If the profile photo does not match the guest using the device, then stateroom access will not be granted and onboard purchases will not be approved."

[MissP22]

37 minutes ago, ldubs said:

"If the profile photo does not match the guest using the device, then stateroom access will not be granted and onboard purchases will not be approved."

I've got no idea what that part of their statement means. 🤨

 

It could mean that if your profile photo doesn't match the security photo on file when you return to the ship (security check) they won't let you proceed to the room?? I.E.- you can't borrow someone's medallion to reenter the ship. ??

[Rick&Jeannie]

2 hours ago, MissP22 said:

You would think that would be true, but it's not. Princess has made it very convenient for everyone to find their cabin by just going to any of the display boards located around the ship (also on each elevator landing) and hold your medallion to the  medallion spot and it will give you a map with a highlighted route back to your cabin.

No pin or password needed. 

 

Hah! This old guy has learned something else from a CC member!  I had no idea about that.  I have always pretty much ignored those displays..never thought I needed them for anything.  So...yes, you are correct @MissP22...it would be very simple indeed. Thanks for the clarification!

[Ombud]

On 11/13/2022 at 12:22 PM, XBGuy said:

Massimo

Like my FAVORITE EB restaurant? Paranoid yet??

 

My avatar everywhere is my dog --- here, FIRE.ORG, ProBoards, onboard, MedallionClass app .... but onboard my door just says "firstname,first name, name initial" Avatar not needed. 

 

But if someone happens to gain access to my room they will find purse, ID, cash locked up in a safe where the keypad hates to open. 

 

 

Edited November 20, 2022 by Ombud

[Mike07]

5 hours ago, antsp said:

There is no facial recognition used to enter your room, you can hear the cabin door unlock sometimes before you are even near it. 

 

 

Considering that nobody here has once reported being locked out of their cabin b/c the camera can't detect their face properly, it's safe to say that any literature or crew member claiming the staterooms do facial recognition is incorrect. If Princess (carnival corporation) does in fact utilize facial recognition technology, that would be a huge IP victory for them and could help clear out all of their debt.

 

Vegas, national governments, department stores would love this tech.

[ldubs]

8 minutes ago, Mike07 said:

 

 

Considering that nobody here has once reported being locked out of their cabin b/c the camera can't detect their face properly, it's safe to say that any literature or crew member claiming the staterooms do facial recognition is incorrect. If Princess (carnival corporation) does in fact utilize facial recognition technology, that would be a huge IP victory for them and could help clear out all of their debt.

 

Vegas, national governments, department stores would love this tech.

 

No one has pointed to such literature and I think everyone agrees it ain't happening.   

[MissP22]

10 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Hah! This old guy has learned something else from a CC member!  I had no idea about that.  I have always pretty much ignored those displays..never thought I needed them for anything.  So...yes, you are correct @MissP22...it would be very simple indeed. Thanks for the clarification!

I check this security breach on every trip and they haven't corrected it yet.

I've told the PSD, security and the Medallion crew about it and no one seemed to be concerned. I also asked them if people should right heir cabin number on the back of their cruise card if they use them in place of the medallion & they all replied "of course not".

"People would be able to find your room if it was lost". 😑

[ldubs]

5 hours ago, MissP22 said:

I check this security breach on every trip and they haven't corrected it yet.

I've told the PSD, security and the Medallion crew about it and no one seemed to be concerned. I also asked them if people should right heir cabin number on the back of their cruise card if they use them in place of the medallion & they all replied "of course not".

"People would be able to find your room if it was lost". 😑

 

I need to circle back around (with a little egg on my face).  The Medallion Q&A item I previously posted was not from Princess.  I was too quick to hit the link when I googled the question and didn't realize it was from some travel site (my mistake).  The "official" Medallion Q&A from Princess makes no such claims.

 

Soooo, never mind.🙂 

 

 

[thinfool]

if this is indeed a problem to be corrected, it would have also been a problem before we had medallions.  There was a time that the old cruise card had our cabin number. 

If this becomes a real issue I am sure that Princess will find a way to deal with it.  If it was already an issue, the media would have jumped like a dog on a bone...media stories would have amplified it beyond our imagination.

As already noted here, your security photo is for security only.  The profile photo that you use can be anything.  Someone mentioned a dog (great idea), I use a cute pic of Lego Batman (my wife hates it).  Whether Princess uses any kind of image recognition behind the scenes when you approach your cabin, I do not know.  I do know that Batman appears as I approach my door..which seems to be amazingly unlocked when I get to it.

 

[NownZen]

24 minutes ago, thinfool said:

  I do know that Batman appears as I approach my door..which seems to be amazingly unlocked when I get to it.

 

On a recent cruise, my profile picture would show and it would list my name but it would not unlock the door. So everytime I left the room I would have to go sit in a bar and wait for my wife to come look for me.  That worked pretty well but she got quicker at finding me as the cruise went on.

[Roberto256]

29 minutes ago, thinfool said:

if this is indeed a problem to be corrected, it would have also been a problem before we had medallions.  There was a time that the old cruise card had our cabin number. 

THAT was a long time ago.

The cruise cards had your folio number.

And before that, the Ving cards had nothing.