Seattle officials are working to fix a series of crosswalk signals that were hacked to play fake audio messages, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation.
Crews with SDOT have already corrected multiple altered pedestrian signals across the city and are continuing to respond as they receive new reports of tampered crosswalk buttons.
The messages, which typically notify a user if the street is safe to cross or not, now say, “This is Jeff Bezos. This crosswalk is sponsored by Amazon Prime.” It is followed up by additional messaging about not taxing billionaires and threatening to move to Florida “like other billionaires.”
The modified audio signals are designed to help pedestrians who are blind or have low vision safely cross the street.
SDOT emphasized that the unauthorized changes not only compromise safety, but appear to have been made in an effort to make a political statement.
“We are concerned that someone would disregard the safety of people to make a political statement,” the department said in a written statement.
SDOT described the situation as serious and said it is actively working with its equipment vendor to develop stronger security measures that would prevent similar hacking in the future.
At the same time, crews are out in the field inspecting additional locations to identify and fix any other compromised signals.
Tampered pedestrian buttons can be reported in several ways. The public is encouraged to use the Find It, Fix It app available on both Android and iPhone devices. Reports can also be submitted through an online form, by calling 206-684-ROAD (7623), or by emailing 684-ROAD@seattle.gov.
The city is asking for help from residents to quickly identify any other crosswalks that may have been affected.
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