Cathay Pacific's new privacy policy: we are recording you with seatback cameras, spying on you in airports, and buying data on your use of competing loyalty programs

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/08/02/what-cld-go-rong.html

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Points for honest, I guess. If I ever fly them I’ll be bringing along a little duct tape, which I’ll apply right after giving the camera the appropriate “salute”.

But don’t worry, the company promises it will take “commercially reasonable” cybersecurity measures to keep all that data from leaking.

In China, “commercially reasonable” for a company means “we’ll hand over our data to whatever government agency is our ‘partner’ without asking any questions”.

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I wouldn’t be surprised if this new policy also describes that as a violation of the TOS, allowing them to bump you from your next CP flight without reimbursement. How long do you think it’ll be before doing that gets declared a crime by China?

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“commercially reasonable” cybersecurity measures

Well that certainly is a creative way of saying “sweet fuck all”.

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Well, in the Uigher territories, where everyone now has to have the official Chinese govt app on their phone, they are not far off it

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I’ll be honest, I figured that there were cameras already placed in the ceiling/bulkheads in the cabin…just like I assume when I’m walking down the corridor of an office building, it’s an almost certainty that a security camera is watching over me.

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Or worse, is considered a felony for tampering with an airplane or some bullshit.

Also, 9.4 million users in a data breach?

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I remember the good ol’ days, back when a privacy policy was something you willingly entered into upon choosing to engage with this or that service. Now, a privacy policy is apparently something you just happen into by the simple fact of existing in a public or private space. So, why are we calling them “privacy policies” again?

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Cathay Pacific is a Hong Kong company, and Hong Kong still has a separate legal system based on English common law. The threat to the rule of law posed by the extradition bill is the cause of the current protests.

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Another good reason to bring a pack of gum on your flight. A little wad of it makes a handy “lens cap”.

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This seems weirdly close to the Charles Stross I was reading this morning. (Empire Games about dystopic 2020 America)

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image

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Since “commercially reasonable” cybersecurity measures obviously weren’t good enough, can you really call them “reasonable”?

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Just don’t try that on Singapore Airlines!

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HK is not China. Only in China server are dump without a warrant from the Gov.

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Well, according to the law, yeah…

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I am going to destroy the next seatback camera I find. I don’t care if they kick me off the flight, Im crushing the seatback.

George Orwell would just be in awe of the ubiquitous cameras fucking everywhere.

This constant voyerism needs to be considered in a new realm of inexcusable violation of someone, so much so that corporate surveillance is banned

Thank God the Free Market is on the case. That way we know nothing bad will happen because consumers can use their rationality to make the Invisible Hand enforce efficiency and optimality

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Possession is 9/10ths of the law.

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I’d be interested if this survives a GDPR challenge from Europe. I suspect the threat of a massive fine will cause this to be dropped.

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