NEWS: Security Screener Company Used By Disney Is Under Scrutiny From Federal Government

The Federal Trade Commission has filed a complaint against Evolv Technologies, the company that produces the security screening units used throughout Disney World property.

Evolv machines at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

The AI-powered security screening systems have been rolled out across all four Disney World parks and Disney Springs. The FTC alleges that Evolv Technologies made false claims about their machines.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is taking action against Evolv Technologies, stating that the company “made false claims about the extent to which its AI-powered security screening system can detect weapons and ignore harmless personal items, including in school settings.”

©Evolv Technologies

Disney World utilizes Evolv Technologies for much of its security screening at the parks. The Evolv products use AI to detect potential threats more quickly than traditional screening methods, such as bag searches or X-ray machines. With the Evolv machines, guests walk between the two towers at a normal pace, and if the system flags them, they are sent to a secondary screening area.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios Security Entrance

Before rolling out the Evolv machines, Disney hand-searched each guest’s bag as they entered the park. Implementing these new machines has made security more efficient for visitors, but a recent FTC press release found that the machines are not as accurate as the company claims.

Security at Magic Kingdom

The FTC’s complaint “alleged that Massachusetts-based Evolv deceptively advertised that its Evolv Express scanners would detect all weapons and made misleading claims that its use of artificial intelligence makes its screening systems more accurate, efficient, and cost-effective than traditional metal detectors.”

©Evolv Technologies

The FTC claims that Evolv has “misrepresented” that its system “will detect all weapons; ignore harmless personal items without requiring people to remove them from their pockets or bags; detect weapons more accurately and faster than metal detectors; reduce false alarm rates; and cut labor costs by 70% compared to metal detectors by reducing the need for additional personnel.”

©Evolv Technologies

Under the proposed settlement from the FTC, Evolv will need to notify certain school customers that they can cancel contracts. Evolv will be prohibited from making misrepresentations about its products, including misrepresentations about its products’ ability to detect weapons, their accuracy in detecting weapons, and the speed at which visitors can be screened.

The complaint against Evolv was filed on November 26th, 2024, and settled between the FTC and Evolv Technologies. Evolv did not admit any wrongdoing and stated that the FTC does not challenge core product efficacy. The FTC’s order involves approximately 4% of their installed base (about 237 machines).

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