Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

12,000 Laptops Lost Weekly At Airports

Posted by timothy on from the dignity-lost-even-more-often dept.

kthejoker writes "Apparently companies are even worse about losing our data than we suspected. From the article: 'According to a study of 106 major US airports and 800 business travelers published by the Ponemon Institute and Dell Computer, about 12,000 laptops are lost in airports each week. Only 30 percent of travelers ever recover the lost devices. Nearly half of the travelers say their laptops contain customer data or confidential business information.' Kinda scary..."

10 of 236 comments (clear)

  1. This raises important questions by merreborn · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...Why do they keep giving these 800 people laptops if they're each losing over 12 per week?

    1. Re:This raises important questions by whiplashx · · Score: 5, Funny
      Reminds me of the statistic: Every 2 seconds an American woman is raped.

      That poor woman...

  2. www.ebay.com by EmbeddedJanitor · · Score: 4, Funny

    .... and the answer is yes.

    --
    Engineering is the art of compromise.
  3. Pokemon Institute by andrewd18 · · Score: 4, Funny

    published by the Pokemon Institute ... about 12,000 laptops are lost in airports each week

    They're missing because I caught them all!

  4. Re:Insurance by TommydCat · · Score: 4, Funny

    You've obviously never lost a company laptop... They definitely care and can show it by giving you an "off the shelf replacement" which turns out to actually be a Kaypro luggable ;)

    I've observed a similar thing with replacement Blackberrys...

    --
    This comment does not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the author.
  5. Re:208000 laptops per year... by fizzup · · Score: 5, Funny

    I get it 12,000 laptops per week times 17 1/3 weeks per year means 208,000 laptops per year.

    208,000 laptops per year times 4.8269231 years means 1,004,000 laptops in five years.

    What are you on? Glue?

  6. Re:I rent a laptop when I get there by element-o.p. · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is it just me, or did the above post sound like it was written by a hit man? ;)

    --
    MCSE? No, sir...I don't do Windows. Yes, I am an idealist. What's your point?
  7. Re:In unrelated news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Another PR firm gets a story through the awesome Slashdot editorial tripwire... somehow.

  8. Not me... by denzacar · · Score: 3, Funny

    http://www.xkcd.com/178/

    --
    Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
  9. Re:Look at who sponsered the 'study' by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Riiiight. And how exactly does that happen? ... my laptop never leaves my person...except for when it's going thru the metal detector."

    Two guys decide they want your laptop. So:
    1. They both get in front of you.
    2. Person A (in the lead) moves through security a little slower than normal.
    3. Person B takes extra time moving through security (change, belt buckle, keys on person) after you drop your case on the belt.
    4. Person A grabs your case, hits the bathroom, dumps everything but the machine and leaves.

    Is this likely? Not really these days but still possible.

    "If my laptop disappeared in that machine, they'd have to pry me away from that machine with a crowbar."

    Picture this: "I WANT MY LAPTOP BACK RI ... ZAP! CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK ..." Not a crowbar but requires less arm movement.