British Airways flies into privacy storm over Google identity checks | Hacker News Reader

British Airways flies into privacy storm over Google identity checks

standard.co.uk

11 pointsrheide21 comments

"We’re essentially trying to recreate the feeling of recognition you get in a favourite restaurant when you’re welcomed there, but in our case it will be delivered by thousands of staff to millions of customers."

When I'm welcomed at my favorite restaurant, I know that the people there actually remember me and it gives me a warm feeling. If someone I've never met before has some information about me that I haven't given them, that's obviously fake and a bit creepy.

Also, if you happen to have a name that's shared by thousands of people on the internet, like "David Smith", or a name that's shared by a famous person, like "Jack Kennedy", what's the probability that a Google search will find information that's actually about you?

This sounds almost as bad of a user experience as club cards at supermarkets. The way they struggle through my last name to pretend to know me is hilarious.

"Thank you, Mr. Mouse .... oh."

BA is searching public information on Google to offer better customer service. What's the problem here?

People have a natural expectation that information used in one place is not re-used in another without being explicitly given. This is especially the case for online-offline interactions.

What next?

- give Amazon or another vendor your credit card, now any Google Images picture with your name and face is your avatar?

- what about the reverse? Say, all public and commercial servcices have access to a sophisticated real-time face-recognition app based on public (or private) Internet services. Every time you enter a cab, a discrete and inexpensive camera, uploads your face and returns a name and some background information. Now the taxi driver asks how you are by your first name and asks would you like to go "Home", "Work" or "School", because from their perspective they are adding customer value?

I can see all sorts of problems and this is just the start...

I would be very surprised this did not violate EU and UK privacy directives if the BA programme is not strictly opt-in, even for the type of high value customers they are targetting.

This information is public. You put it on the internet. They are not taking pictures of you without your consent, you already uploaded photos of yourself for the world to see. In my eyes, this is not a privacy issue.

This is not a legal issue - as you said, it's public information available freely on the internet.

This is more of a "you're creeping everyone the fuck out, stop it" issue.

People take photos of others all the time without their consent and upload them to public profiles on Facebook.

"Oh, I see you have an Ashley-Madison profile, would you like to go 'Home', 'Work', 'School', or to your Mistress?"

I don't need synthesized recognition, I just need good, polite service.

"BA’s biggest rival, Virgin Atlantic, also faced complaints over privacy after it was alleged that one of its employees had leaked celebrities’ flight details to a paparazzi agency."

That sounds much worse. What BA is doing - Googling their clients - is, at worst, overzealous.

They already do this to a large extent. When you're in business class or higher (this new policy only applies to Business or First) the air hostess already knows your name, where you're sitting, etc and greets you with "Hello Mr. Brackin".

The only difference is when getting on the plane they'll know what you look like and can greet you, point you to your seat and apologise about any inconveniences on connecting flights.

BA aren't very good at explaining technology evidently, it's much less of a big deal than even they're making it out to be in my opinion.

Hmmm.... I wonder how this fits in under the European data protection laws.

From my reading of the UK DPA it would be illegal for BA to search and store information about me without me giving them permission to use the information about me for that purpose. Since they mention the act in the article I'm guessing that it's opt-in and not a problem.

I flew first class the other day. I don't usually. I found myself startled -- and not pleasantly so -- when the flight attended used my name when asking whether I might like something to drink.

You know your name is on your ticket right?

Yeah - once you're on the plane there's really no need for your image, because you're virtually guaranteed to be in the seat you're assigned to (especially in business class and above), at least until you've taken off.

BA actually issue their senior cabin crew with iPads, both to digitise various pieces of paperwork but also to allow them to get more direct access to things like seating plans and passenger manifests, allowing them to welcome people by name, etc etc.

Yeah, of course. I wasn't shocked that they could find my name, only that they would -- that doesn't happen in steerage.

They, now, do the same thing at some fast food restaurants to create a more personalized customer experience. It always gives me the creeps. I wonder if this is going to be a generational division. Perhaps, the up and coming generation will expect everyone to already know who they are.

Fast food restaurants where? Do they know you because you are a frequent customer or are they doing something else?

Time to SEO my name with images of muppets, I guess...

It's not my cup of tea, but I don't see the harm if you make it an opt-in program.

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