Given Singapore’s reputation for being an unabashed surveillance state, a passenger on a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight could be forgiven for being a little paranoid.

Vitaly Kamluk, an information security expert and a high-ranking executive of cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab, went on Twitter with concerns about an embedded camera in SIA’s inflight entertainment systems. He tagged SIA in his post on Sunday, asking the airline to clarify how the camera is being used.

Just found this interesting sensor looking at me from the seat back on board of Singapore Airlines. Any expert opinion of whether this a camera? Perhaps @SingaporeAir could clarify how it is used? pic.twitter.com/vy0usqruZG — Vitaly Kamluk (@vkamluk) February 17, 2019





SIA quickly responded, telling Kamluk that the cameras have been disabled, with no plans to use them in the future. While not all of their devices sport the camera, SIA said that some of its newer inflight entertainment systems come with cameras embedded in the hardware. Left unexplained was how the camera-equipped entertainment systems had come to be purchased in the first place.

Hi there, thank you for reaching out to us. We would like to share that some of our newer inflight entertainment systems provided by the original equipment manufacturers do have a camera embedded in the hardware. (1/2) — Singapore Airlines (@SingaporeAir) February 17, 2019





These cameras have been disabled on our aircraft, and there are no plans to develop any features using the cameras. Thank you. (2/2) — Singapore Airlines (@SingaporeAir) February 17, 2019





In another tweet, SIA affirmed that the cameras were already built in by the original equipment manufacturers in newer inflight entertainment systems.

Hi there, these cameras on our newer IFE systems were provided by the original equipment manufacturers. We have no plans to enable or develop any features using the cameras. — Singapore Airlines (@SingaporeAir) February 19, 2019





Kamluk recommended that it’s best to disable the cameras physically — with stickers, for example — to provide better peace of mind.

Noted with thanks, @SingaporeAir. I really like your IFE system and quality of the content. Keep security of your passengers up! It’s best to disable these cameras physically until you decide to use them, i.e. with a simple sticker. Thank you! https://t.co/leibNF3NgT — Vitaly Kamluk (@vkamluk) February 17, 2019





Could cameras built into inflight entertainment systems actually be used as a feature though? It’s possible, according to Panasonic Avionics. Back in 2017, the inflight entertainment device developer mentioned that it was studying how eye tracking can be used for a better passenger experience. Cameras can be used for identity recognition on planes, which in turn, would allow for in-flight biometric payment (much like Face ID on Apple devices) and personalized services.

Biometrics for IFEC, too? @PanasonicAero w new deal to integrate with on-board systems. #APEXEXPO #PaxEx // Is IFE going to watch me?!? pic.twitter.com/9jnftRVBFb — Seth Miller (@WandrMe) September 26, 2017





It’s a long shot, but SIA could actually utilize such systems in the future. The camera’s already there, anyway.

This article, Cybersecurity expert questions existence of embedded camera on SIA’s inflight entertainment systems, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company. Want more Coconuts? Sign up for our newsletters!