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Medallion Net - Serious Privacy Concerns

Meridian2uk

By Meridian2uk,
in Princess Cruises

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ldubs

ldubs

Posted
Posted
4 hours 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. 

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.

 

 

It is easy enough to test.  Someone just needs to approach with their travel partner's medallion and see if the door unlocks.  I think it will.   

 

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Rick&Jeannie "Live from...." Rare

Rick&Jeannie

Posted
Posted (edited)

There is DEFINITELY NO facial recognition taking place when it comes to opening your cabin door.  There are no cameras built in to the panel.  Also, if you approach your cabin door from the passageway "behind" your panel (i.e. out of direct sight from your panel)...your door still opens.

 

Can you just imagine the lines at guest services if they actually were using facial recognition??!!

Edited by Rick&Jeannie
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NownZen

NownZen

Posted
Posted
52 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

There is DEFINITELY NO facial recognition taking place when it comes to opening your cabin door.  There are no cameras built in to the panel.  Also, if you approach your cabin door from the passageway "behind" your panel (i.e. out of direct sight from your panel)...your door still opens.

 

Can you just imagine the lines at guest services if they actually were using facial recognition??!!

The only facial recognition we have seen lately has been the US immigration. Never did show a passport.

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caribill

caribill

Posted
Posted
On 11/19/2022 at 2:13 PM, 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.

 

Not that hard at all.

 

The passenger's name is on the Medallion.

 

It is not difficult to learn what cabin that passenger is in.

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Mike07

Mike07

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Not that hard at all.

 

The passenger's name is on the Medallion.

 

It is not difficult to learn what cabin that passenger is in.

 

Go up to one of those wall kiosks, and I believe there is an option that "helps" your thief locate your cabin and even provides directions to get there.

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MissP22

MissP22

Posted
Posted
31 minutes ago, Mike07 said:

 

Go up to one of those wall kiosks, and I believe there is an option that "helps" your thief locate your cabin and even provides directions to get there.

And it provides you everything, even without a pin number. 

Try that with a cruise card and see how much info it provides. 

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NownZen

NownZen

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, MissP22 said:

And it provides you everything, even without a pin number. 

Try that with a cruise card and see how much info it provides. 

This would be an interesting experiment. By covering most of the medallion, you may be able to make the bluetooth less effective. I seem to remember that the wall kiosks also have an RFID reader. If that is the case, just presenting the card (or medallion with a dead battery) would give the same result as the medallion. In this case, the cruise card is just as useful for locating the room as the medallion. I will take an old medallion on the next cruise and see if it at least acknowledges the RFID part.

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MissP22

MissP22

Posted
Posted
34 minutes ago, NownZen said:

This would be an interesting experiment. By covering most of the medallion, you may be able to make the bluetooth less effective

Our homemade Medallion holders are part thin sheet metal behind the Medallion and it doesn't seem to haver any effect on the Bluetooth range.

On our last cruise it worked the furthest it ever has in the past- most times 3 to 4 cabins away.

It makes me wonder about the incident with the coin stuck to it's back.

Next cruise I'm going to test the system with a half dollar stuck to the back and see if it reduces the sensitivity.

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caribill

caribill

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, MissP22 said:

And it provides you everything, even without a pin number. 

Try that with a cruise card and see how much info it provides. 

 

Just like a Medallion, a cruise card has the passenger name on it and it is not hard to find out what cabin number that passenger is in.

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MissP22

MissP22

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Just like a Medallion, a cruise card has the passenger name on it and it is not hard to find out what cabin number that passenger is in.

I doubt if the PSD would tell you their cabin number if you asked.

They might let you call their cabin but they would dial it for you. 

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caribill

caribill

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

I doubt if the PSD would tell you their cabin number if you asked.

They might let you call their cabin but they would dial it for you. 

And then if they dial it for you, their cabin number shows on the display on your phone if it has such a display.

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Doug R.

Doug R.

Posted
Posted
15 hours ago, MissP22 said:

Did this new procedure ever speed things up. Wow. 

In Brooklyn, the facial recognition scan took less than 5 seconds. No line for those of us who walked off because of the speed of the facial recognition.

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Incognito1

Incognito1

Posted
Posted (edited)

Put our medallions in a Mission Darkness credit card holder and only took one/them out when needed.  Staff was really interested in them because THEY are tracked as well.  Medallions in the holders could not be read even with a reader on top of them. There are sensors throughout the ship.  I can see how this information would be valuable to Princess (travel routes, for instance), but it's still your choice whether to give it or not.  The small number of us not wishing to add to the database will likely just be ignored -- sort of like people who use Google vs. those who don't want to be the product.  The cabin doors unlocked about 5' out (didn't matter whose medallion), we both used the same medallion to purchase the specialty coffees and play in the casino - no matching to the photo.  From the company's standpoint, the intel will help with allocating resources. 

 

And, crud.  I just realized I forgot to cash out the rest of my funds from the casino, and you can't get them after leaving the ship. 😞

Edited by Incognito1
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ldubs

ldubs

Posted
Posted

Everything of any value is locked in the safe.  If, God forbid, some thief did access our cabin, I guess they could steal our clothes.  Maybe the luggage and charger cords. Pretty slim pickings, IMO.   I guess they could order up a bunch of stuff or make an international call on the cabin phone at $$$/minute, but that seems kind of iffy.  

 

I wonder how often thieves break into cabins.  I guess the targeted haul would be laptops, tablets, & cameras.   And maybe jewelry and credit cards if folks leave them out.  If the thief got lucky they might cover their cruise fare.   It just doesn't seem worth it to me.  If it happens I would think it is more of a dishonest person taking advantage of an opportunity as opposed to a pre-planned crime.    But, what do I know.  

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ldubs

ldubs

Posted
Posted
14 minutes ago, Incognito1 said:

Put our medallions in a Mission Darkness credit card holder and only took one/them out when needed.  Staff was really interested in them because THEY are tracked as well.  Medallions in the holders could not be read even with a reader on top of them. There are sensors throughout the ship.  I can see how this information would be valuable to Princess (travel routes, for instance), but it's still your choice whether to give it or not.  The small number of us not wishing to add to the database will likely just be ignored -- sort of like people who use Google vs. those who don't want to be the product.  The cabin doors unlocked about 5' out (didn't matter whose medallion), we both used the same medallion to purchase the specialty coffees and play in the casino - no matching to the photo.  From the company's standpoint, the intel will help with allocating resources. 

 

And, crud.  I just realized I forgot to cash out the rest of my funds from the casino, and you can't get them after leaving the ship. 😞

 

By the hi-lighted item, do you mean when you used your spouse's medallion, they didn't bother to confirm identity?  That would seem to be a bad practice.  

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edspec

edspec

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, ldubs said:

Everything of any value is locked in the safe.  If, God forbid, some thief did access our cabin, I guess they could steal our clothes.  Maybe the luggage and charger cords. Pretty slim pickings, IMO.   I guess they could order up a bunch of stuff or make an international call on the cabin phone at $$$/minute, but that seems kind of iffy.  

 

I wonder how often thieves break into cabins.  I guess the targeted haul would be laptops, tablets, & cameras.   And maybe jewelry and credit cards if folks leave them out.  If the thief got lucky they might cover their cruise fare.   It just doesn't seem worth it to me.  If it happens I would think it is more of a dishonest person taking advantage of an opportunity as opposed to a pre-planned crime.    But, what do I know.  

This.

I don’t worry about someone breaking into my house, don’t worry about someone breaking into my cruise cabin. I’m a very soon to be 61 year old woman and it doesn’t scare me to travel alone now, and didn’t in my younger days either. I don’t understand all the paranoia and self-importance. Trust me, people are focused on themselves and their stuff, not you or your belongings.

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