Can airplane seat cameras
spy on passengers?
Francesca Street • Updated 3rd March
2019
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Eyes in the sky: Some
passengers and aviation experts are concerned that cameras installed on
airplane seats could be used by airlines or third party hackers to spy on them
and steal data.
Courtesy Pexels
(CNN) — An airplane
cabin's not a great place for indulging in "me-time" -- after all,
you're crammed into a small space with a lot of strangers -- but you hope you
can eat, sleep and relax en route to your destination without fear of being watched.
We're not talking about voyeuristic fellow
passengers, but an even creepier thought: being scrutinized via cameras
installed in your inflight entertainment system (IFE).
In February, Vitaly Kamluk -- a Twitter user who
works in malware research -- was on board a Singapore Airlines flight when his
wife noticed an "interesting sensor" below the inflight entertainment
screen and pointed it out to him.
"She felt general discomfort of a digital eye
looking at her. I believe that's a common reaction of general passengers."
Kamluk tells CNN Travel.
Kamluk suspected it was a camera and Tweeted
images of the
discovery, tagging Singapore Airlines in the hope of getting an answer.
"I was quite surprised to actually see
something like a camera and as a security expert I could imagine many scenarios
of misuse of such sensors which is why I decided to ring the bell," he
says.
Kamluk's post quickly gained traction on social
media and Singapore Airlines responded, explaining
that its newer inflight entertainment systems include an embedded camera,
although emphasizing that these cameras are deactivated.
Just
found this interesting sensor looking at me from the seat back on board of
Singapore Airlines. Any expert opinion of whether this a camera? Perhaps @SingaporeAir could clarify how it is
used?
The fact that some aircraft seats have built-in
cameras is not new knowledge.
Singapore Airlines' inflight entertainment system
is manufactured by Panasonic Avionics, a US-based company that supplies IFE for
many of the major airlines and French company Thales. Panasonic announced a
while back that it's added cameras onto seat backs.
And in 2017, Panasonic Avionics announced a
partnership with Tascent -- a biometrics and identity innovation company.
"The companies will combine Tascent's
biometric identity devices, software and services with Panasonic Avionic
Corporation's in-flight entertainment and communications systems to provide
streamlined, easy-to-use identity recognition before departure, during flight and
upon arrival," read the corresponding press release.
The idea was seat-back cameras could facilitate
onboard immigration, skipping lines when you land. It was also suggested that a
seat-back camera could aid payment processing for onboard shopping.
At the 2017 Dubai Airshow, Panasonic
Avionics announced the latest incarnation of Emirates' IFE in First Class and Economy -- specifying it
featured a camera, plus a microphone and speaker.
British Airways says it has infrared sensors on some seat backs, but no
cameras.
Courtesy CNN
In the age of the smartphone, everyone holds a
tiny cinema in their hand, so there's certainly an expectation that airlines
will have exciting entertainment options -- a screen simply showing movies
won't cut it anymore.
But has Emirates ever done anything with its
on-board cameras?
"Some of our 777 aircraft have cameras that
came pre-installed with the inflight entertainment hardware that we had
purchased from the manufacturer (Panasonic)," a spokeperson for the
Dubai-based airline told CNN Travel. "It was originally meant for
seat-to-seat video calls, however Emirates has never activated it."
“These cameras are permanently disabled on our
aircraft and cannot be activated on board. ”
Singapore Airlines
This echoes Singapore Airlines' comment on the
issue.
"These cameras have been intended by the
manufacturers for future developments," the airline says. "These
cameras are permanently disabled on our aircraft and cannot be activated on
board. We have no plans to enable or develop any features using the cameras."
Meanwhile, American Airlines told CNN Travel that
cameras are "a standard feature," but are not activated and the
carrier has no plans to use them.
A spokesperson for Aussie carrier Qantas also told
CNN Travel that IFE manufacturers include inbuilt cameras as standard -- and
said the airline couldn't activate the cameras, even if they wanted to.
"The feature would require software in order
to be activated, which Qantas doesn't have and doesn't plan to install."
Air New Zealand and British Airways told CNN
Travel there were no cameras on board any of their aircraft.
Two images obtained by CNN Travel of an IFE system
on a British Airways airplane depict what looks like a lens of some kind. BA
describes it as an infrared environmental sensor rather than a camera.
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Improving the experience?
Passengers worry that the cameras could be hacked.
Courtesy Emirates
But are airplane seat cameras a bad idea? Some
aviation experts think they could improve the onboard, inflight experience.
Joe Leader, CEO of aviation trade body Airline
Passenger Experience Association (APEX) think there's several handy usages for
these cameras.
As well as facilitating video chat between
passengers, the cameras could look out for passengers becoming unwell or
monitor cabins for suspicious behavior.
The cameras could also be used to spot human
trafficking or assault -- acting as an extension of the air steward's eyes.
As for the privacy concern, APEX points out the
ubiquity of cameras in 21st century society.
"Today, airline passengers are typically
tracked outside the aircraft dozens of times on a typical journey through
stores, security, roadways, and airports by cameras without any
permission," APEX says in a statement.
"In contrast, airlines only want to use
cameras in the future with permission when technology has advanced to offer
personalized service improvements that passengers desire."
Hacking fears, suggests APEX, are
"misplaced."
"The greatest risk to airline passenger
privacy breaches come from their own smartphones, tablets, cameras, computers,
and smart devices used in private settings, " says APEX.
Related content
Hacking fears
Several airlines -- including American Airlines, pictured -- say there
are deactivated cameras on board their airplanes.
Courtesy American Airlines
The concern for some fliers is that even if the
existence of these seat-back cameras aren't a secret -- and even if they could
facilitate some cool features -- it feels disingenuous that their presence
isn't advertised.
When contacted by CNN Travel, Panasonic Avionics
stressed that it was committed to the privacy of passengers.
"Panasonic Avionics will never activate any
feature or functionality within an IFE system without explicit direction from
an airline customer," the company said in a statement to CNN.
"Prior to the use of any camera on a
Panasonic Avionics' system that would affect passenger privacy, Panasonic
Avionics would work closely with its airline customer to educate passengers
about how the system works and to certify compliance with all appropriate
privacy laws and regulations, such as [The EU's data privacy regulation]
GDPR."
Related content
But although Panasonic Avionics and the airlines
say the cameras are currently deactivated -- they're not physically covered up
and passengers remain worried about hacking.
Kamluk, an expert in cyber-security, says that's a
key issue.
"Passengers should understand that this is
not about government or airline conspiracy against them," he tells CNN
Travel. "I am sure that it's not in the interest of the airlines to spy on
their passengers.
"The true risk comes from potential
unauthorized access to these devices from a powerful malicious attackers. As
far as IFE is connected to the Internet, there is a possibility of remote hack
and espionage if such devices can be activated in software."
Passengers also worry their data might be stolen
or compromised.
"These may potentially result in VIP
passengers' communications being eavesdropped, passport data being photographed
while filling customs declarations, entering of secret PIN code or password to
unlock user's devices may be recorded on video," says Kamluk.
“As far as IFE is connected to the Internet, there
is a possibility of remote hack and espionage if such devices can be activated
in software.”
Vitaly Kamluk, malware expert
"You may say that regular CCTV poses similar
risk, but when the camera with mic is very close and just in front of you, the
quality of such shots, video and audio recording makes [a] big
difference."
Aviation consultant Peter Lemme told CNN Travel
that such fears were not unfounded and airlines needed to listen.
"The public response would suggest cameras
facing passengers is a toxic undertaking," says Lemme. "Privacy seems
to be the greatest concern, and that gets to spying and publication.
"The upside of an IFE system that recognizes
a passenger has fallen asleep, pauses the movie, darkens the screen and
substitutes calming music is balanced against the concern that somehow the
camera will take pictures of the person that will embarrass them or will be
distributed improperly."
"Trust is the variable between business and
customer. It is hard to earn and easy to lose. Airlines depend on passengers
trusting they will hold their traveling details private. There is no upside for
an airline to endanger trust, but there is much downside."
Many internet users tape stickers over their
computer's camera as a means of ensuring privacy. Should airlines physically
cover the cameras, to reassure passengers?
Lemme thinks so.
"There must be no chance of surveillance
unless the passenger agrees to it. Does this mean a physical cover plate -- I
think yes. I don't know any other way that would [be] compelling to
everyone," he says.
Kamluk agrees.
"One good strategy is to give passengers a
little bit more of control on their privacy level," he says. "The
manufacturers could do one simple hardware switch to enable/disable all
questionable sensors such as cameras and mics."
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