
Discovery of Cameras Built into Airlines’ Seats Sparks Privacy Concerns - koolba
https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/22/18235979/camera-airplane-inflight-entertainment-american-singapore-airlines-privacy
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dogma1138
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.

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Andre607
> 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?

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dogma1138
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.

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Andre607
> 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](https://wikileaks.org/ciav7p1/cms/page_12353643.html)

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dogma1138
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.

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Andre607
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.

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dogma1138
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.

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Andre607
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.

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nathanaldensr
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.

