Singapore Airlines passengers have a camera pointed at them

If you're flying with Singapore Airlines, don't be surprised if it looks as though there's a camera staring at you from the back of the seat in front. There is a camera present, but the airline insists it isn't being used.

The discovery of the tiny camera, which we're more used to seeing positioned above laptop displays, was made by passenger Vitaly Kamluk. He tweeted asking for expert opinion as to whether this was indeed a camera.

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As Fast Company reports, Singapore Airlines replied stating that these cameras are present on "selected Business, Premium Economy and Economy Class" seats. So does that mean passengers are being watched or recorded as they fly? Singapore Airlines says definitely not.

The official statement from the airline reads as follows, "Some of our newer IFE systems provided by the original equipment manufacturers do have a camera provisioned and embedded in the hardware. These cameras have been intended by the manufacturers for future developments. 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."

Rather than Singapore Airlines requesting cameras so it can look at passengers, the manufacturer of the entertainment system decided to include one as it may be of use in the future. I could certainly see it being of use for video calls, or for apps that allow you to apply filters to a face, for example. It's just a shame they didn't ship the entertainment system with the camera covered up by a flap that could be removed only after the functionality had been added.

Singapore Airlines is in good company when it comes to forgetting to mention hardware is present. Only yesterday, Google had to admit its Nest Secure smart home security system included a microphone, which was never mentioned in any of the literature.