Live data from Hacker News

How Airlines don’t care about privacy: Case Study Emirates.com

medium.com

61–70 of 177 posts

Re: How Airlines don’t care about privacy: Case Study Emirates.com

#61
post #6

Airlines don't care about privacy, security, user experience, prices... There are many things you don't have to care about when competition is low and barriers to entry are incredibly high. As an aside, turns out 9/10 decoy bombs and bladed weapons are smuggled onboard with no problems in tests. All the security theatre and voodoo rituals requiring passengers to switch off all electronic devices for no actual reasons…

Airlines aren't responsible for security. The rules are specified by the IATA and national agencies and security is either handled by a government department (e.g. TSA) or by the airport itself. Also, switching off electronic devices has nothing to do with security. The apparent reason is that it can cause issues with navigation, as was theorised after a plane crash in the 90's. Most flights these days don't even req…

It's not just that. It's the airlines' means for complying with a specific federal law as well.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/91.21

The reason that different airlines have different rules, is that their OpSpecs have different (and sometimes evolving) treatment on portable electronic devices, which is their way, as operators, of complying with § 91.21

(shared because I suspect some will find it interesting in a random-trivia sort of way, not because I'm arguing against your post)

Re: How Airlines don’t care about privacy: Case Study Emirates.com

#62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm waiting for someone to state "when you're not paying for something, you are the product", except in this case, you are paying for something, yet you're still the product. This is just...disgusting.

This is why we should stop quoting that all the time. Just because you are paying for a product does not prevent your data from being sold or used in unethical ways.

As much as I agree with you that we seriously have got to stop trotting out that quote all the time, the quote doesn't necessarily preclude what you point out.

According to the quote, if you don't pay for it, you're definitely the product, but clearly, as you mention, just because you pay for it doesn't mean you're still not the product.

Unfortunately.

Re: How Airlines don’t care about privacy: Case Study Emirates.com

#63
post #16
post #11

Has anyone heard of an exploit that sets people's flights to use the attackers frequent flyer number, thus collecting their miles?

No, because in most cases the program requires the passenger's name to match the FF account name.

> the program requires

Except in the event of exploit of vulnerability...

Re: How Airlines don’t care about privacy: Case Study Emirates.com

#64
From my experience the travel industry are the worst offenders of data security. I remember making booking on booking.com and not having to pay for my booking, and I wondered how hotels can confirm bookings, when I went to check in at the hotel I asked this question to the front desk staff, and they simply told me “oh we get a fax or email from the OTA of your credit card information”. You can imagine the look on my face when that happened.

Here I am building my online business using tokens with pci dss compliant payment gateway and all these businesses out there don’t even care.

My lesson learned then was these industries will do anything to make it more convenient for the travelers to book, even compromise on security.

Re: How Airlines don’t care about privacy: Case Study Emirates.com

#65

I had a coworker who was flying to Morocco (I forget what airline). He called me over to his desk at some point to show me the screen as he was picking out his seat. By each occupied seat was a headshot of the passenger, pulled from what I assume was their Facebook profile. It was amazingly creepy.

Sounds like KLM: https://www.klm.com/travel/us_en/prepare_for_travel/on_board...

This is on a strictly opt-in basis. I guess it's an interesting alternative to Tinder if you're going to be stuck on a plane. (Disclaimer: I've never tried it myself)

Re: How Airlines don’t care about privacy: Case Study Emirates.com

#66
post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm waiting for someone to state "when you're not paying for something, you are the product", except in this case, you are paying for something, yet you're still the product. This is just...disgusting.

This comment is spot on. Do you mind if I use it as a caption on the artice aswell(with due credits)

If you don't pay for it, you are the product. If you pay for it, you may still be productized. Odd that an EULA actually binds both parties, but somehow unequally? I don't think so!

Re: How Airlines don’t care about privacy: Case Study Emirates.com

#67
post #13

I oftentimes reach for my 'call the regulator' button when I read these articles. Whats odd is how many people say "god no..." as if there was some consequential downside to using the very government entity we created (in law) to make corporate entities "do the right thing" when they don't appear to want to do it voluntarily. So.. here we go. Explain to me, why we don't want to enact law to require (through regulatio…

I oftentimes reach for my 'call the regulator' button when I read these articles.

And what regulator is that? Does Dubai even have a "regulator" overseeing stuff like this?

Emirates is wholly owned by the government of Dubai. So basically you would be complaining about one Dubai government agency to another Dubai government agency.

Perhaps you could complain about this to some US or EU regulator? Would they care enough to get involved?

Re: How Airlines don’t care about privacy: Case Study Emirates.com

#68

From my experience the travel industry are the worst offenders of data security. I remember making booking on booking.com and not having to pay for my booking, and I wondered how hotels can confirm bookings, when I went to check in at the hotel I asked this question to the front desk staff, and they simply told me “oh we get a fax or email from the OTA of your credit card information”. You can imagine the look on my…

Why isn’t it the same when you hand them your credit card?

Re: How Airlines don’t care about privacy: Case Study Emirates.com

#69

I had a coworker who was flying to Morocco (I forget what airline). He called me over to his desk at some point to show me the screen as he was picking out his seat. By each occupied seat was a headshot of the passenger, pulled from what I assume was their Facebook profile. It was amazingly creepy.

Sounds like KLM: https://www.klm.com/travel/us_en/prepare_for_travel/on_board... This is on a strictly opt-in basis. I guess it's an interesting alternative to Tinder if you're going to be stuck on a plane. (Disclaimer: I've never tried it myself)

Wouldn't there be an incentive to make yourself ... less pleasant looking in the hopes nobody sits next to you?

Re: How Airlines don’t care about privacy: Case Study Emirates.com

#70

I mean - after Equifax got away with leaking SSNs, Names, Addresses with DoBs of all 142M Americans - this is seriously nothing. At this point, I have become apathetic on these privacy related issues as nothing will be done.

Yap and their stock pretty much recovered. Worse, as you said, everyone learned: "it's actually quite alright to leak all this stuff, no need to revamp anything or worry about security, privacy and spending extra on that, you'll be just fine".
Post reply on HN