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Security Tips for Traveling with Tech Gear
securitas writes "Many Slashdotters will be traveling during the next week and PC World has an article about how to travel with tech gear with a minimum of security hassles. The Transport Security Administration maintains an allowable and banned items list (PDF) that you might want to check. Make sure that you have fully charged batteries for any tech gifts you received. I've had big hassles with all the tech gear that I routinely carry, especially when combining business trips with a vacation. One security screener even asked me to log in, decrypt and look at files on my notebook's desktop, which was unnecessarily invasive (not to mention against my then-employer's security policy). He settled for viewing the secure login screen 'to make sure it worked.' Any other horror stories out there?"
The story says:
The Transport Security Administration maintains an allowable and banned items list (PDF) that you might want to check.
The agency who manages airport security is the Transportation Security Administration. Looks like someone goofed here.
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Let's take a minute and clarify the most important unspoken point here::: We are not the ones who are responsible for the brutal and horrible terrorist acts. Harrassing us and our equipment isn't going to reduce anyone's chances from being victimized by these psychos.
An more effective approach to reducing terrorism would be to make it understood to the people who are causing these events that their underlining political agenda will not be considered if they coordinate and execute these actions. Not in a broad sense, but very specific quid-pro-quo (Latin phrase meaning one precise action traded for another). For instance if the Palestinians (or one of their "non-aligned" splinter groups) cause a terrorist incident to occur, then ALL State Dept negotiations, discussions, trade talks, diplomatic meetings, UN resolutions,ect. will be suspended for a year. They would be completely ignored by the international organizations upon which they depend to legitimize their political goals.
If bozos living in caves manage to get together the resources to mount massive terrorist attacks upon the civilized world (and who believes that bozos in caves are the ones actually doing this?), then the AID shipments and relief work will be suspended for a year. Soldiers will actually shoot the doctors who refuse to comply.
Bank accounts will be seized: trade embargos actually enforced.
When people complain that their children are hurt and starving, we should very quickly and loudly point out that this is only happening because they gave money and shelter to a group that blew up a passenger airliner. It will continue for X months and then end. If it happens again, then the food, material, and trade embargo will go into effect again for X months. Sure, it makes us look like heartless assholes in their eyes, but we're not the ones dancing in the streets and handing out sweets to strangers when some piece of shit walks into a day-care center with ten pounds of Centex strapped around his waist.
Terrorism continues to happen because the people who are supposed to be stopping it are more serious about harrassing ordinary people who have nothing to do with it than they are at convincing the perpetrators (and their supporters) that the guaranteed consequences from these horrible acts would not be worth it to their cause.