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It has been revealed that some airlines have back-end entertainment systems with cameras.
American Airlines, United Airlines and Singapore Airlines have all confirmed they have cameras on their new entertainment systems, but said they have never activated them.
It is likely that other aircraft used by other carriers may also contain the cameras.
The issue came up after a pbadenger from a Singapore Airlines flight released a photo of the seat's seat screen last week and that the tweet was shared several hundred times.
Singapore Airlines was one of three airlines to confirm the existence of cameras (EPA)
Buzzfeed first reported that the cameras are also installed on US aircraft.
American Airlines has confirmed the cameras and said the companies that make the entertainment systems have installed them to offer future options such as video conferencing from headquarters to headquarters.
The three airlines noted that they had not added the cameras, but that the manufacturers had incorporated them into the entertainment systems.
US systems are manufactured by Panasonic, while Singapore uses Panasonic and Thales, according to airline representatives. Neither Panasonic nor Thales reacted immediately for a comment.
As they shrink, cameras are integrated with more devices, including laptops and smartphones. The presence of cameras in aircraft entertainment systems was known in the world of aviation at least two years ago, although this is not the case for the traveling public.
Seth Miller, a journalist who wrote on the subject in 2017, thinks equipment manufacturers have ignored the implications for privacy.
"There were already cameras in the planes – though not as invasive – and the companies badumed that the pbadengers would exchange their images for convenience, as they do with the facial recognition technology at the checkpoints. of immigration, he said.
An American Airlines plane (PA Archives / PA Images)
"Now they are facing a backtracking caused by a small vocal group that is questioning the value of a system that is not even active," Miller said.
American Airlines spokesman Ross Feinstein said the cameras occupy "premium economy" seats on 82 Boeing 777s and Airbus A330-200s. American has nearly 1,000 aircraft.
"Cameras are a standard feature of many in-flight entertainment systems used by several airlines," he said.
Singapore's spokesman, James Boyd, said the cameras board 84 Airbus A350s, Airbus A380s, and Boeing 777s and 787s. The carrier has 117 planes.
While airlines say they do not intend to use the cameras, Vitaly Kamluk, a Twitter user, who took the photo of the camera on his flight to Singapore, said suggested that, just to be sure, carriers should stick stickers on the lenses.
"The cameras are probably not used now," he tweeted. "But if they're wired, operational, provided with a microphone, just a smart hack to use on more than 84 planes and spy on pbadengers."
Additional reports by AP.
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