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Feds Ask IT Execs To Throw Away Cellphones After Visiting China
sholto writes "US intelligence agencies are advising top US IT executives to weigh their laptops before and after visiting China as one of many precautions against corporate espionage. Symantec Chief Technology Officer Mark Bregman said he was also advised to buy a new cellphone for each visit and to throw it away after leaving. Bregman said he kept a separate MacBook Air for use in China, which he re-images on returning, but claimed he didn't subscribe to the strictest policies. 'Bregman said the US was also concerned about its companies employing Chinese coders, particularly in security.'"
how much does data weigh? I'm sure the 1's are heavier than the 0's....
Symantec Chief Technology Officer Mark Bregman [...] was advised to buy a new cellphone for each visit
Yes, heaven forbid China learns the secret of bloated antivirus software that ignores state-sponsored keyloggers.
Amnesty International
I'm sure glad that the laptops and cellphones in question weren't MADE in China in the first place...
Oh, wait..
This is a substitute for a clever sig that fits within the maximum number of characters.
The real story in the article should be "CTO of world's largest Windows security software company uses a mac."
me go pee pee in your coke!
The US border guards are just going to swipe the laptop and smart phones at customs anyway.
-Ours is the wisdom of Solomon, the magic of Merlyn, the fall of Icaris.
Don't they have a right to know how their money is spent? ;)
...odds are you'll end up bugging a lot of 19 year old teenage girls going off to college instead of corporate execs.
Either way, you win.
This is very good advice, as it would instantly catch the loss of weight if any data was stolen from the laptop. You hear of data theft all the time, and all it takes is something low-tech like a scale to detect it.
This is why the bugs are only activated when they detect an integer overflow error in any document called "personal finances.xls". With this method, they can be sure they're on an American executive's computer.
A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.
This, friends, is the real reason behind the famed Apple design of no user serviceable parts. Not to save weight, not to give Apple a few measly bucks for battery replacements but to prevent FOREIGN ESPIONAGE. Think about that that when you drop your Dell and 12 little plastic panels pop off.
You Windows folks aught to be shot as spies.
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
What's the old saying (Kettle calling the Pot black)
Actually, Pot started it. He called Kettle "black" first. It devolved into a war shortly thereafter when the Broiling Pan took sides and the Colander started screaming for legal recourse. Fortunately, Cheese Grater and Can Opener continued to get along. Then, of course, there was the scandal where Dish ran away with Spoon, but that's another story...
...odds are you'll end up bugging a lot of 19 year old teenage girls going off to college instead of corporate execs.
Either way, you win.
Until the restraining order kicks in.
Why, without your clothes, you're naked, Miss Dudley!
A Chinese faculty member met with the Chinese students in order to tell them in America, cheating and other ethical breaches are not considered a good way to get ahead.
They are, however, considered invaluable in *staying* ahead once you get there.
No - you, sir, have no clue about Americans. Americans are in it for themselves, bar none. Any social interest arising from an American economic activity is merely an unintended side-effect of a self interest the executor couldn't turn into profit.
aptly said by those who renamed "french fries" to "freedom fries"