Inflight entertainment system provider Panasonic Avionics
has issued a statement promising that the cameras it has installed in current
generation systems won't be used without explicit knowledge of airline
passengers.
"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 GDPR," the company said.
Panasonic said the cameras have been included in the systems
to support future potential applications, such as seat-to-seat video
conferencing.
The cameras, located at the bottom of the entertainment systems,
began attracting public attention following a Feb. 16 Twitter posting by a
Singapore Airlines passenger. On Feb. 21, BuzzFeed reported
that similar cameras were in place on some American Airlines seatback systems.
United and Delta have since confirmed that some of the entertainment
systems they purchased from Panasonic are also camera-equipped.
In emails to Travel Weekly, American, Delta, United and
Singapore said that they have never enabled the cameras, which were included in
the systems as a standard feature by Panasonic.
"They are not functional, and Delta does not have any
plans to install the necessary software to use them," Delta said.
Panasonic said the cameras have not been activated by any of
its airline customers. The company did not respond to a request for a list of
all airlines that have installed its camera-equipped entertainment systems.