MLB wants to ditch tickets for your biometrics

soxhop411

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Dec 4, 2009
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Traditional tickets — even mobile tickets that have replaced printed versions — at stadiums across the country will soon become a thing of the past.

MLB and CLEAR have teamed up to implement biometric ticketing at select stadiums across the country that will allow fans to use their fingerprints — and eventually facial recognition — to enter the stadium on game day, eliminating the need for printed tickets at all. The program will begin at select ballparks later this season, with its full rollout launching next year at stadiums that already use CLEAR and Tickets.com.

All fans have to do is simply link their MLB.com accounts with their CLEAR accounts, and they’re good to go.

“Our collaboration with CLEAR is an important new technology initiative, delivering safe, simple and seamless experiences for fans,” Noah Garden, MLB’s executive vice president of business, told EnGadget in a statement.“Developing a partnership that will unify emerging identity technology and ticketing is reflective of our commitments to always improving ballpark accessibility and maintaining critical security standards.”
The program will eventually expand to concession sales, too, allowing fans to pay for food and drink, and even validate their age for alcohol sales using their fingerprints.
There is absolutely zero chance mlb will not abuse this info.
/s

https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb-introduce-biometric-ticketing-replacing-tickets-fingerprints-facial-recognition-230019500.html
 

Dehere

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Old guy question: Am I the only one who enjoys having a hard ticket to an event? It's still a tiny little thrill to me to be handed a ticket to a game. As a kid I kept all my tickets in a box and it was fun to have them as keepsakes. Whenever I see another step in the direction of e-ticketing I wonder who is excited by this?
 

timlinin8th

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Old guy question: Am I the only one who enjoys having a hard ticket to an event? It's still a tiny little thrill to me to be handed a ticket to a game. As a kid I kept all my tickets in a box and it was fun to have them as keepsakes. Whenever I see another step in the direction of e-ticketing I wonder who is excited by this?
No you aren’t the only one. One of my favorite displays at the HOF was one that had a bunch of old tickets to different stadiums, and I found myself imagining holding ones like the 1941 Ebbetts Field ticket and going into a game... what are they gonna have on display there 30 years from now, an iPhone 6 with a fingerprint on it?

 

Ale Xander

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"MLB and CLEAR have teamed up to implement biometric ticketing at select stadiums across the country that will allow fans to use their fingerprints"

Do we know which stadiums this will attempted at first, yet?


Going to events is basically my #1 hobby right now, but I will stop going to 99% of things if I have to be finger printed (or worse) each time. Bar or medical board membership, once, I understand, this sees like overkill.


How do we have to "tell" big brother which friends/family/dates we're taking with us to the game or concert?
 

tonyandpals

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How would stubhub work?
I guess they'd need your "biometric profile" on file. Then the seller could transfer it to you like they do today. Instead of you showing your phone, you'd show your face? finger? nethers?

Just spit-balling obviously :)
 

CoffeeNerdness

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“Our collaboration with CLEAR is an important new technology initiative, delivering safe, simple and seamless experiences for fans,” Noah Garden, MLB’s executive vice president of business, told EnGadget in a statement.“Developing a partnership that will unify emerging identity technology and ticketing is reflective of our commitments to always improving ballpark accessibility and maintaining critical security standards.”
Who exactly is the audience for this phony corporate double speak?

Sadly, people will happily fork over their fingerprints because they're told it's "safe, simple and seamless". Sure will be fun when dopey first timers who have no idea how to get around Fenway are putting their thumbs in the air while some hapless usher tries to explain they have no clue where their seat is because they can't read thumbs. I hope this implodes spectacularly.
 

OurF'ingCity

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Sadly, people will happily fork over their fingerprints because they're told it's "safe, simple and seamless". Sure will be fun when dopey first timers who have no idea how to get around Fenway are putting their thumbs in the air while some hapless usher tries to explain they have no clue where their seat is because they can't read thumbs. I hope this implodes spectacularly.
That's a really good point - how the fuck are you going to know/remember where your seat is? And if the answer is that it will show up on your phone or whatever, then why not just put the ticket on an app in the first place?
 

sittingstill

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How would you buy tickets for a group of folks who don't all plan to arrive together? Or divide up a season ticket plan?
 

charlieoscar

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Sep 28, 2014
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Oh, boy, hackers will get my fingerprint to go along with all the other information they've already stolen. MLB is clueless.
 

Ale Xander

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Oct 31, 2013
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Could issue a receipt at the gate. That sounds super convenient.
Wait, wait, wait. You mean technology exists already where you can write down a seat location on a piece of paper?

Oh man, what will they think of next? A sharp edge that cuts bread? Or maybe a round piece of metal that can roll so you can get places faster than on 2 feet?
 

snowmanny

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Isn’t the natural extension of this that they eventually try to skew their crowd towards people who will buy more stuff at the ballpark, based on the fan’s estimated wealth or other demographic profiling. The clubs will end up like casinos comping potential high rollers.
It only makes logical sense. Fun
 

Catcher Block

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Isn’t the natural extension of this that they eventually try to skew their crowd towards people who will buy more stuff at the ballpark, based on the fan’s estimated wealth or other demographic profiling. The clubs will end up like casinos comping potential high rollers.
It only makes logical sense. Fun

Not far off, they're planning on rolling this out for concession purchases, too. From the Engadget article:
The company says it will also soon be introducing biometric-powered concession purchases in Washington and is working on incorporating facial recognition into its Clear Lanes.
I'm actually surprised it took this long for something like this to be discussed. The mandatory screenings of all fans on game days was a new problem and it wasn't going to be long before someone came in with a "solution" to the long lines--all it took was MLB and the MLB-owned Tickets.com to find a partner willing to pay them for the privilege.