IFE C AMERAS
“ Mobile pairing will be
a good initial step”
verified that it did not include any airport data we backed
away from the issue. But US Customs and Border Patrol
are treating this as the example that they look at as
nothing ever, sitting anywhere is 100% secure.”
Given aviation’s vulnerability to cyber
threats, encryption is critical. “With
individually encrypted certification,
nobody can end up with a treasure
trove of biometric information, just
by finding one password. Every
biometric ID has to be unlocked
individually, and it would require an
inordinate amount of time to get into one of those
online,” Leader says.
Airlines don’t want to have the responsibility for
keeping passenger biometric data, Leader says, much
less recordings of their activities onboard. “That makes
everyone nervous about the chain of liability,” he adds.
“This is why airlines like pinging the government
database, to make sure that they have a biometric
match, based on mathematical formulae.”
Because of the sensitivity of
information, some onboard
applications will work through
passenger device pairing,
rather than any separate
authentication protocols
embedded in the
IFE system.
“Mobile pairing
will be a good
initial step,”
Leader says.
“Once the pairing
Guess who
Airport facial recognition systems have not
been performing as well as hoped in some
cases, according to research compiled by
contact lens retailer, Feel Good Contacts. The
company has revealed some common reasons
for passengers using e-passports failing
checks at borders. While passengers are
reminded to remove hats, glasses and scarves
before entering the gate, the research found
that physical factors such as beards, facial
piercings, weight loss or weight gain could be
enough to fail the check. It is estimated that
more than 500,000 passengers arriving in the
UK have failed these checks over the past year.
Other factors, such as mood, alertness and
physical condition, can play a factor in the
success or failure of making it through the
gate, according to findings by Matt Lewis,
research director at cybersecurity firm, NCC
Group. Some passengers have even reported
failing these checks after having a few too
many beers the night before a flight.
A seminar at
APEX Expo will
look at using data
analytics to drive
content selection
ABOVE: TASCENT’S SYSTEM
IS ALSO INTENDED TO
AUTOMATE THE AIRCRAFT
BOARDING CHECK PROCESS
WATCH YOUR
BEHAVIOUR
IATA data shows that in 2017, there was
one unruly passenger incident for every
1,053 flights. Between 2007 and 2017 more
than 66,000 incidents were reported to
IATA. These figures are raising interest in
recording incidents, with Guernsey-based
Aurigny being the first airline to attach
surveillance cameras to crew uniforms.
aircraftinteriorsinternational.com
044 SEPTEMBER 2019
process gets easier for passengers, or if we
have express permission from passengers
to identify them immediately when
boarding, then I think it’s entirely appropriate.”
Some aircraft cameras should be activated for
security purposes, but they are not passenger-centric.
“The cameras most likely to be used first are the ones
that Airbus, Boeing and other security personnel are
pushing, which show cabin lingering and intent,” Leader
says. “On some aircraft, there are cameras outside the
cockpit door and software that can track if someone just
stays there. Everyone who looked at the application for
those cameras agreed that they should be allowed.”
Even with all of these considerations, Leader believes
that passenger-centric camera applications are not far off.
“I envision that somewhere between 2023 and 2025, we
will see a lot of the cameras in seatbacks come on,” he
says. “It will be done in business and premium economy
first. Once seen as a benefit rather than an invasion of
privacy, cameras will become more common in economy.”
The key will be to have passengers’ explicit permission
and consent to be viewed or recorded, especially for
applications like passenger health monitoring, or
applications that track their engagement with content or
products presented on screen. “There is a difference in
serving passengers, versus making them feel stalked,”
Leader says.
/aircraftinteriorsinternational.com