5 ms·

> I wouldn't want random people in the airport to see my personal information. Why not? I'm as much a privacy advocate as anyone, but I don't see the big deal

> I wouldn't want random people in the airport to see my personal information. Why not? I'm as much a privacy advocate as anyone, but I don't see the big deal here. The board seems to display your first name, your gate number, your destination city, and your departure time. Why is it a concern that strangers potentially standing next to you might see this? You already see tons of boarding passes while waiting in various airport lines. My point is that people don't typically care about these four data points, so why is it a concern that they're displayed on this board (which ostensibly only you or someone directly in your space can see), especially when someone can go to a random gate, and ask your name, and now they all the same data points.

davesque 4y ago
Maybe it's just embarrassing. And if someone were to ask why, would that really be a fair question? In this particular case, I don't have a complicated argument about security. I just generally expect to be able to remain anonymous in public. I guess that's why I wouldn't opt into this program.
- Ansil849 4y ago
  I'm genuinely not understanding the embarrassment. If you're saying you're embarrassed about going to a particular destination, do you not sit in the designated gate area? Do you sit elsewhere? What do you do when it's actually time to board? This seems like a personal neurosis that would far surpass any potential issues with this technology. Anyone will know the same points of information about you that are on the board: your gate number, your departure time, and your destination city - without having to occupy the same spatial coordinates as you, as they would to see your custom display. At that point, all they'll be missing is your first name, which they can ask you for. If the board displayed information like your confirmation or ticket number, then I agree there would be cause for concern regarding exposure of personal information. But I don't see how destination city/departure time/gate number/first name constitute a privacy concern.
  - chrischen 4y ago
    Strictly speaking he’s right in that you are still leaking a little extra information that a targeted attacker could use against you in an attack. This is your first legal name, and which gate you may be heading towards in the future. It’s not much information but it is still extra information.
    - Ansil849 4y ago
      If an attacker is targeting your first name, there are any number of ways they can extract it from you in ways that are far, far easier than having to more or less literally sit on your shoulders so that they're in the same spatial coordinates as you to be able to see the custom display. They could catch your name on your boarding pass, unless you never display it inadvertently. They could read it from a luggage tag. They could catch your name off an order at an airport restaurant or cafe, unless you never give out your real name. They could also just ask you at the gate, unless you always give a fake name when introducing yourself to people as well. The point being that 'guarding my first name at an airport' seems like an extremely niche concern, that far surpasses this particularly technology.
      - chrischen 4y ago
        Yea, and this is basically just yet another way for them to extract that information. Add it to the list… but having one more option does make it easier in case the person doesn’t have a luggage tag, opted for a digital boarding pass, or reasonably refuses to give their first name when asked. Just because there are other ways to do something doesn’t make extra ways moot. If you have multiple authentication methods your security is only as strong as the weakest one, and the same concept applies here in terms of the information being leaked. Having more attack surfaces increases the attack surface.
        mynameisvlad 4y ago
        But... How? They might know that Vlad is going to gate Los Angeles at gate A5. But, even assuming this display is not precise, how are they going to know that I'm Vlad? They will know that someone around them matches that information, but airports are generally busy places. Especially with new technology that people would want to try out.
yojo 4y ago
I could imagine a woman prone to being harassed being put off by this technology. My wife flies for business and (occasionally) gets hit on by strange men. Not all the time, and usually not very icky, but there’s been at least one that veered into creepy territory. If I were her, I would be unhappy about a weirdo being able to covertly snag her name and destination and using it disingenuously - e.g. pretend to be an old acquaintance that you must have forgot.
- Ansil849 4y ago
  This seems unrealistic. Especially because, as I pointed out in another comment, there are tons of other far easier ways for someone to get someone's first name at the airport. I think perhaps people are misunderstanding how this tech works: you need to be standing in specific coordinates for the information to be visible to you.
  - yojo 4y ago
    I was replying to the parent, who asked why someone might be sensitive about these data points. I don’t claim to know the fidelity of the targeting. If someone is walking behind you in the same line and can see the data, I can see feeling concerned. If it’s truly being beamed right to your eyeballs, not an issue.
- googlryas 4y ago
  A harasser would just follow her to the gate...and then what? Try to board the plane they don't have a ticket for?
  - yojo 4y ago
    More likely hit on her in a creepy fashion at a restaurant near the gate. That seems to be where it usually happens.
    - goldenkey 4y ago
      Are we really going to stop progress in the name of your wife? She can just opt out of the feature. Perhaps she should opt in to a burka or a covid mask.

davesque 4y ago

Maybe it's just embarrassing. And if someone were to ask why, would that really be a fair question? In this particular case, I don't have a complicated argument about security. I just generally expect to be able to remain anonymous in public. I guess that's why I wouldn't opt into this program.

Ansil849 4y ago
I'm genuinely not understanding the embarrassment. If you're saying you're embarrassed about going to a particular destination, do you not sit in the designated gate area? Do you sit elsewhere? What do you do when it's actually time to board? This seems like a personal neurosis that would far surpass any potential issues with this technology. Anyone will know the same points of information about you that are on the board: your gate number, your departure time, and your destination city - without having to occupy the same spatial coordinates as you, as they would to see your custom display. At that point, all they'll be missing is your first name, which they can ask you for. If the board displayed information like your confirmation or ticket number, then I agree there would be cause for concern regarding exposure of personal information. But I don't see how destination city/departure time/gate number/first name constitute a privacy concern.
- chrischen 4y ago
  Strictly speaking he’s right in that you are still leaking a little extra information that a targeted attacker could use against you in an attack. This is your first legal name, and which gate you may be heading towards in the future. It’s not much information but it is still extra information.
  - Ansil849 4y ago
    If an attacker is targeting your first name, there are any number of ways they can extract it from you in ways that are far, far easier than having to more or less literally sit on your shoulders so that they're in the same spatial coordinates as you to be able to see the custom display. They could catch your name on your boarding pass, unless you never display it inadvertently. They could read it from a luggage tag. They could catch your name off an order at an airport restaurant or cafe, unless you never give out your real name. They could also just ask you at the gate, unless you always give a fake name when introducing yourself to people as well. The point being that 'guarding my first name at an airport' seems like an extremely niche concern, that far surpasses this particularly technology.
    - chrischen 4y ago
      Yea, and this is basically just yet another way for them to extract that information. Add it to the list… but having one more option does make it easier in case the person doesn’t have a luggage tag, opted for a digital boarding pass, or reasonably refuses to give their first name when asked. Just because there are other ways to do something doesn’t make extra ways moot. If you have multiple authentication methods your security is only as strong as the weakest one, and the same concept applies here in terms of the information being leaked. Having more attack surfaces increases the attack surface.
      - mynameisvlad 4y ago
        But... How? They might know that Vlad is going to gate Los Angeles at gate A5. But, even assuming this display is not precise, how are they going to know that I'm Vlad? They will know that someone around them matches that information, but airports are generally busy places. Especially with new technology that people would want to try out.

yojo 4y ago

I could imagine a woman prone to being harassed being put off by this technology. My wife flies for business and (occasionally) gets hit on by strange men. Not all the time, and usually not very icky, but there’s been at least one that veered into creepy territory. If I were her, I would be unhappy about a weirdo being able to covertly snag her name and destination and using it disingenuously - e.g. pretend to be an old acquaintance that you must have forgot.

Ansil849 4y ago
This seems unrealistic. Especially because, as I pointed out in another comment, there are tons of other far easier ways for someone to get someone's first name at the airport. I think perhaps people are misunderstanding how this tech works: you need to be standing in specific coordinates for the information to be visible to you.
- yojo 4y ago
  I was replying to the parent, who asked why someone might be sensitive about these data points. I don’t claim to know the fidelity of the targeting. If someone is walking behind you in the same line and can see the data, I can see feeling concerned. If it’s truly being beamed right to your eyeballs, not an issue.
googlryas 4y ago
A harasser would just follow her to the gate...and then what? Try to board the plane they don't have a ticket for?
- yojo 4y ago
  More likely hit on her in a creepy fashion at a restaurant near the gate. That seems to be where it usually happens.
  - goldenkey 4y ago
    Are we really going to stop progress in the name of your wife? She can just opt out of the feature. Perhaps she should opt in to a burka or a covid mask.