Silicon Valley crosswalk buttons apparently hacked to imitate Musk, Zuck voices

IoT Security and How the Hack Likely Worked

• Many commenters note the crosswalks use Polara hardware configurable via a mobile “Field Service App” over Bluetooth/Wi-Fi.
• Documentation shared in the thread shows:
  • Shared factory default password “1234” for devices.
  • Wi-Fi password “DEFAULT1”.
  • Devices audibly nagging “change password” until it’s updated.
• Consensus is that cities likely never changed defaults, making guessing/trivial access possible; alternate theories include leaked credentials or a rogue insider.
• The product is marketed for “simple wireless programming” with no visible emphasis on security, prompting the usual “S in IoT stands for security” jokes and complaints about convenience trumping protection.

Prank, Safety, and Accessibility

• Many see the hack as clever, low-stakes political satire targeting powerful tech figures rather than ordinary people, and praise the pranksters for:
  • Keeping the standard “WAIT!” and crossing tones intact.
  • Avoiding extremist or hateful content.
• Others strongly object to tampering with accessibility infrastructure at all, arguing:
  • Visually impaired users rely on predictable, trusted messaging and location prompts.
  • Once the system is known to be altered, users may reasonably doubt whether “walk” vs “don’t walk” cues are still reliable.
• Supporters counter that in the available recordings the required signals are still correct and audible, so functional accessibility isn’t harmed.
• One report notes a city response where buttons were fully deactivated and crossings put on timers; some blame authorities for choosing a response that itself degrades accessibility.

Ads, PSAs, and Public Space

• Some speculate cities might eventually sell crosswalk audio as ad inventory, likening it to gas-pump ads; others call this “genius in the worst way possible.”
• Debate over PSAs:
  • Critics see them as condescending, noisy, and ineffective on “bad offenders.”
  • Defenders argue they’re aimed at kids, tourists, and people with low literacy, and reflect a collective duty to public safety.
  • A long subthread explores literacy, critical thinking, and how people process information.

HN Meta: Second-Chance Queue

• Several commenters notice the story is actually a week old but appears freshly posted, with all timestamps shifted.
• Others explain HN’s “second-chance pool,” which re-promotes under-seen posts and rewrites timestamps so ranking and replies work.
• This triggers debate about whether falsifying comment times is a practical hack, a confusing UX, or outright deceptive.