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American Airlines Has Cameras in Their Screens Too

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141–150 of 233 posts

Re: American Airlines Has Cameras in Their Screens Too

#141

I flew on a plane similar to the one cited in the article this past Monday. It was a late night flight and I turned the screen off to try and sleep, only to have the screen turn itself back on (and disable the power button) to show me advertisements. Between this and "smart" TVs that secretly surveil the end user, I'm not optimistic about the future of humane consumer electronics.

Should’ve grabbed keys or something sharp and scratched the screen.

[deleted]

Re: American Airlines Has Cameras in Their Screens Too

#142

They already take a high resolution back scatter shot of my genitals on the way in, what's a little more humiliation among friends? If they want to spend 6 hours watching me make pained expressions as I shift and turn and feel the bits that make me human slowly slip away, leaving me a crippled, grunting inhuman beast by the time I get out of the aluminum can full of other peoples farts, I guess they are welcome to it…

For all the crap we give China and their authoritarian government, airport security is FAR easier at every Chinese airport I've been to. Walk through a metal detector and get a quick non-invasive pat down.

Re: American Airlines Has Cameras in Their Screens Too

#143
post #120

What's the big deal, though? Its not like these devices are in your home -- they are in a public space that is well known to be heavily surveiled. So I guess, even in the worst case scenario where these cameras were recording you, what is so different from the other 500x camera FOVs you step into during your journey? What am I missing?

An airport is a public space. A plane seat is semi-private or at least has always had that expectation. And given that it was placed there by the people owning the plane, it is well within the bounds of what passengers can expect to demand changed by said owners.

I will never understand this mentality.

Re: American Airlines Has Cameras in Their Screens Too

#144
post #50

I understand why airlines and other industries are using off-the-shelf parts; I actually prefer this because it gets us closer to more modular IFE systems like what Delta/GoGo are doing on the A220, which means airlines can conceivably upgrade their IFE systems more frequently and at lower costs. What I don’t understand is why there aren’t commodify parts available sans cameras, given the myriad of use-cases and the…

>> What I don’t understand is why there aren’t commodify parts available sans cameras, given the myriad of use-cases and the customer volume for camera-free Android Yes. In fact, an acquaintance of mine is staying at a psychiatric hospital being treated for schizophrenia. He has absolutely nothing to do all day and wants to read books from the library. But he can't easily access the library. This is possible (but slo…

> Yes. In fact, an acquaintance of mine is staying at a psychiatric hospital being treated for schizophrenia. He has absolutely nothing to do all day and wants to read books from the library. But he can't easily access the library.

Nice. I guess this is the psychological equivalent of crappy hospital food right when your body is recovering and has the highest need of nutrients.

Re: American Airlines Has Cameras in Their Screens Too

#145
post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

AA isn’t a tech company. There revenue isn’t based on selling eyeballs.

Those in seat screens have advertisements on them you know.

Don't forget the brainwash about their company they make you watch while you're strapped into a seat with nowhere else to look.

Re: American Airlines Has Cameras in Their Screens Too

#146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People by and large keep to themselves on airplanes. If someone was recording you with their cell phone for the duration of the flight, I promise you, you wouldn't like it. The resultant footage wouldn't particularly be any different than if it was recorded by the seatback in front of you, though. If I'm going to, say, a concert, or especially a taping of a TV show, I have a much higher expectation of ending up in so…

I wouldn't like it and if I noticed I'd politely ask them to stop. However, (and I'm not a lawyer) I don't think it'd be illegal or even unethical. If someone was recording me napping on a plane I'd treat it the same way as if I was napping under a tree in a national park. It would be a non issue for me. Privacy is something I control by not exposing sensitive information in areas where recording is a possibility. I…

Pretty sure someone could experience serious ramifications if they persisted recording you after being asked to stop. They might even be met by police at the destination and banned for life if they refused the commands from flight attendants after their inevitable involvement.

Re: American Airlines Has Cameras in Their Screens Too

#147
post #100

It's ironic that in the book 1984 all the citizens have hidden cameras in their TVs. Today, in 2019, all the citizens have non-hidden cameras and microphones in pretty much every electronic device they use. We also have the customary day of rage, where we all direct our collective rage at some political opponent. Don't get me started on the butchering of the English language...

It's been a while since I've read it, but wasn't everyone in 1984 well aware of the cameras in their telescreens? That's why Wilson sought out a corner of his room where he was out of view of the camera?

I believe you're correct, 'cept that Wilson was Winston.

Re: American Airlines Has Cameras in Their Screens Too

#148

To me this is just a distraction. Yes there's a hardware camera. I will bet some money that they have not been used nefariously by AA or SQ. Some are raging about the non-existant theoretical privacy violation (again, not 100% non-existant, but I will bet money there's no surveillance through this camera), meanwhile we are ignoring actual privacy violations being done by e.g. Facebook or Twitter, or the millions of a…

If the hardware exists, and just because it is likely disabled (or not utilized) in software by the airlines, does not mean it cannot be enabled by a nefarious actor.

Security researchers have shown it is possible to gain access to the on-board computer systems:

https://thehackernews.com/2016/12/hacking-in-flight-system.h...

https://thehackernews.com/2014/08/airplanes-can-be-hacked-th...

And one man appears to have elevated that access to actually control the plane:

https://www.wired.com/2015/05/feds-say-banned-researcher-com...

https://www.cnn.com/2015/05/17/us/fbi-hacker-flight-computer...

So, no, I don't think this is a distraction whatsoever. We have the capacity to cover both of these issues.

Re: American Airlines Has Cameras in Their Screens Too

#149
post #100

It's ironic that in the book 1984 all the citizens have hidden cameras in their TVs. Today, in 2019, all the citizens have non-hidden cameras and microphones in pretty much every electronic device they use. We also have the customary day of rage, where we all direct our collective rage at some political opponent. Don't get me started on the butchering of the English language...

> [...] all the citizens have hidden cameras in their TVs.

The cameras weren't hidden.

> We also have the customary day of rage [...]

It was the Two Minutes Hate.

> Don't get me started on the butchering of the English language...

In the book, the changes to English -- to make it into Newspeak -- were controlled. No such control exists in the real world.

> It's ironic [...]

It seems not to be.

Re: American Airlines Has Cameras in Their Screens Too

#150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. Also, it’s techbcially “private” space which means they can record you, but there needs to be a notice somewhere. I’m sure there’s something hidden in the air passenger terms of service or whatever, but still!

It's interesting how the expectation of privacy varies from person to person! Since members of the general public are in close proximity I generally wouldn't consider an airplane cabin a place where I could have a reasonable expectation of privacy. In places that are intentionally restricted from view by others, like my own home, a hotel room, etc. I'd have an expectation of privacy.

The substantiating factor for me has two dimensions: scale and intent.
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