In a bizarre and troubling twist, crosswalk buttons in several U.S. cities have been hijacked, causing them to emit the AI-generated voices of tech moguls like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg instead of the usual safety messages. The incidents, reported in Seattle and Silicon Valley, have raised eyebrows and sparked safety concerns, especially for visually impaired pedestrians who rely on auditory cues.
In Seattle, residents were caught off guard when a synthetic version of Bezos’ voice began announcing that the crosswalk was “sponsored by Amazon Prime,” alongside commentary suggesting that high taxes could drive wealthy individuals out of the city. The Seattle Department of Transportation has expressed its serious concern over the hack, stating that the tampered buttons have diverted staff resources that could be better utilized elsewhere. “We take this matter seriously and are working as fast as we can to respond to the situation,” the department told the press, indicating a collaborative effort with vendors to strengthen security against such breaches. [Seattle Times](https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-crosswalk-signals-hacked-to-imitate-jeff-bezos-voice/)
The hijinks did not stop in Seattle; Silicon Valley also experienced similar disruptions, where crosswalks began to mimic the voices of other high-profile individuals, including a made-up scenario involving Elon Musk. This unprecedented use of AI deepfake technology raises alarms about the ease with which critical public safety announcements can be spoofed, maintaining that pranksters could continue their antics as long as the vulnerabilities are not patched.
The core of the issue appears to lie within the pedestrian signal systems manufactured by Polara, the leading provider of crosswalk solutions in the U.S. These systems, which are typically managed via Bluetooth, were found to be poorly secured due to default passwords and irresponsible user practices. Although Polara has since removed the relevant mobile application from app stores, security experts warn that many users still have access to it and could exploit the existing vulnerabilities. Noted hacker Deviant Ollam emphasized, “Polara presumably made for an appealing target because they have a wireless management interface by Bluetooth.”
In response to the situation, Polara has stated that their software remains uncompromised, attributing the issues to the misuse of valid PIN codes, like the widely used default “1234.” As the company collaborates with affected locales to rectify the situation, industry experts are calling for more robust security measures moving forward. In this climate of heightened technological vulnerability and public satire, the ongoing situation exemplifies a pressing need for improved safety protocols to protect urban infrastructure.