Discovery of Cameras Built into Airlines’ Seats Sparks Privacy Concerns | Hacker News Reader

Discovery of Cameras Built into Airlines’ Seats Sparks Privacy Concerns

theverge.com

10 pointskoolba9 comments

Ah yes privacy in a process that requires full identification, security scrutiny passing through likely the most surveilled place any person without access to Area 51 would pass through but the major concern is a camera on what is likely a commodity tablet/infotainment system that isn’t even in use.

I wonder once airlines allow you to make Skype calls from it what would people bitch more about being exposed to yet another webcam or being on a flight without WiFi and not being able to FaceTime.

> American Airlines spokesperson Ross Feinstein confirmed to BuzzFeed News that cameras are present on some of the airlines’ in-flight entertainment systems, but said “they have never been activated, and American is not considering using them.” Feinstein added, “Cameras are a standard feature on many in-flight entertainment systems used by multiple airlines. Manufacturers of those systems have included cameras for possible future uses, such as hand gestures to control in-flight entertainment.”

And what does 'never been activated' mean? Does it mean they are default off, but a flight attendant (or anyone who accesses the control panel while the flight attendant is otherwise occupied) can turn on a camera to see what someone sitting at a specific seat is doing?

Most likely not being enabled in the software for entertainment purposes, these aren’t a surveillance tool if the airlines wanted to have security cameras they would’ve installed them already and not in a place that is easily accessible by the passengers so they could cover them.

This is utterly useless for anything but to make video calls or for kids to play stupid games with.

Many infotainment systems already have had microphones in them even on older planes with international flights you had the ability to make calls even in coach.

> these aren’t a surveillance tool if the airlines wanted to have security cameras they would’ve installed them already

The fact that it may be designed as an entertainment system and not as a surveillance system has no bearing on the fact that the former may readily be used for the latter. See Weeping Angel [1] for an example of one such manifested use-case.

[1] https://wikileaks.org/ciav7p1/cms/page_12353643.html

What exactly does the capability of an intelligence agency to use a webcam has to do with this? Are you also counting the microphone and camera of every device anyone carries around you in your threat model?

If so there already is zero privacy on any airplane, not to mention in every Starbucks.

I interpreted your reply to be that this camera is intended for entertainment, not surveillance purposes. My response was to point out that entertainment-purposed equipment can and has been repurposed to be surveillance equipment, effectively becoming multipurpose. And that it's therefore not implausible that these cameras could be used for impromptu surveillance such as the example I outlined in my first reply.

By whom? There is no such thing as privacy when traveling via commercial air travel what you are saying is utter nonsense.

Law enforcement and intelligence agencies already have access to your travel itinerary, identification documents, biometric data and surveillance footage from the airport these cameras would add nothing of value.

Please re-read my first comment, as I feel like we are talking past each other. You are talking about generalized surveillance; I presented a specific example of how this particular technology can be used in my first post. The obvious truism that law enforcement agencies have access to a wide array of traveler information has no bearing on the fact that, as I said in my first comment, a bored passenger or flight attendant could use the system to peep on passengers depending on what 'never been activated' means.

I've been on several United Airlines flights recently where the seat backs had touch screen entertainment systems. I swiped my finger over a certain area below the screen to turn the screen on. Seems like the cameras in the referenced picture might be for the same purpose.

Of course, you have to trust the manufacturer and the airline to not use them for nefarious purposes.

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