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American Airlines Has Cameras in Their Screens Too

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Re: American Airlines Has Cameras in Their Screens Too

#191

Post by appleflaxen »

exabrial wrote: post #128
SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #116

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…

I've yet to go through any of these machines since they were implemented. I have opted out every flight, every time.

good for you. i respect your conviction, and think you are doing a principled thing.

Re: American Airlines Has Cameras in Their Screens Too

#192

Post by crazygringo »

I mean, I'm a big fan of privacy but I consider an airline cabin to be a pretty public place.

I'm already used to security cameras in pretty much every public building I walk in...

...can anyone think of something nefarious that could be done with these cameras?

The only possible "threat" I can think of would be to eavesdrop on someone's laptop/conversation for potential business secrets or otherwise, but the cameras are pointed at someone's face (not screen) and no mention is made of a microphone... although planes used to have those phones (obviously with a microphone) in them for many years.

And in any case, a commercial flight is probably not the best place to be discussing top-secret info anyways.

Re: American Airlines Has Cameras in Their Screens Too

#193

Post by trumped »

crazygringo wrote: post #192

I mean, I'm a big fan of privacy but I consider an airline cabin to be a pretty public place. I'm already used to security cameras in pretty much every public building I walk in... ...can anyone think of something nefarious that could be done with these cameras? The only possible "threat" I can think of would be to eavesdrop on someone's laptop/conversation for potential business secrets or otherwise, but the cameras…

so you can think of only one nefarious purpose.... does it make it right?

Re: American Airlines Has Cameras in Their Screens Too

#194

Post by kodablah »

kelnos wrote: post #134
kodablah wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> meanwhile we are ignoring actual privacy violations being done by e.g. Facebook or Twitter, or the millions of ad networks This is becoming a form of digital whataboutism and false equivalence. I can't read comments about seatback airline cameras without being reminded of these other "violations" as though they are related. Maybe the collective "we" are ignoring them because "we" don't consider them privacy violati…

I'm always torn on whataboutism. On one hand, yes, these are all problems that should be addressed, and you shouldn't dismiss one just because there are some worse problems elsewhere. But I think a lot of what we sometimes label whataboutism is just people marveling how people in general are just so terrible at risk assessment that they'll latch onto minimal-risk items and get outraged about them, while at the same t…

> I'm always torn on whataboutism

I'd say there's a difference between idly attempting to gain perspective/compare, and dismissing/shaming the original content and its interested receivers via contrast. The latter is the problem, especially when it's framed as a mutually exclusive option between the primary subject and the contrasted subject, as though there is a fixed maximum of concern that can be had.

Re: American Airlines Has Cameras in Their Screens Too

#195

Post by outworlder »

eeeeeeeeeeeee wrote: post #148
netsharc wrote: post #60

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 e…

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. It is highly unlikely that 'controlling the plane' is even possible.

All we have is a word from some dude. A very irresponsible one, if his claims are true.

Re: American Airlines Has Cameras in Their Screens Too

#196

Post by [deleted] »

ngngngng wrote: post #142
SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #116

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.

[deleted]

Re: American Airlines Has Cameras in Their Screens Too

#197

Post by adrianmonk »

Griping at and shaming companies who may or may not have a legitimate use case is a battle that will never end. You don't necessarily know which products have cameras, and you don't have a ton of leverage anyway.

Instead, what would make sense to me is to have an across the board regulatory requirement that cameras, regardless of purpose, product type, etc.:

(1) must be clearly marked (logo, wording, etc.), and

(2) must have some kind of reliable, independent way to shut them down or defeat them (such as a plastic shutter to cover the camera, etc. -- not just a software controlled indicator light).

That way there is considerably less need for complicated agree-to-disagree debates about whether a camera should or shouldn't exist in this or that context. Instead, there would be one thing that is clear cut, objective, and possible to enforce, and people would be empowered to do something about the cameras around them. (Except for security cameras, which would need to be a separate category.)

Re: American Airlines Has Cameras in Their Screens Too

#198

Post by Untit1ed »

criley2 wrote: post #173
ngngngng wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

When you've already locked down your citizens, control all guns, and record their wrongthink in databases linked to credit and their livelihoods, there's probably less danger at any one point. Hell there aren't mass shootings in China either. Again, authoritarians often cite Order as the result of just giving in to their oppressive tactics.

There certainly are mass stabbings though...

Re: American Airlines Has Cameras in Their Screens Too

#200

Post by JohnFen »

netsharc wrote: post #60

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…

> meanwhile we are ignoring actual privacy violations being done by e.g. Facebook or Twitter, or the millions of ad networks (which that webpage has too, btw).

Oh, I don't think we're ignoring those things.

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