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TSA Bans Toner and Ink Cartridges On Planes

Posted by Soulskill on from the there-goes-hp's-exploding-printer-product-line dept.

Grond writes "The US has banned toner and ink cartridges from passenger aircraft in the wake of last month's bomb plot. 'The printer cartridge ban affects cartridges over 16 ounces.' No word yet on whether that's a weight or volume measurement or whether it's a per-cartridge or per-passenger limit." The ban comes alongside a prohibition on air cargo originating from Yemen and Somalia. Bruce Schneier's blog points out another potential consequence from the recent bomb plot: the end of in-flight Wi-Fi.

6 of 633 comments (clear)

  1. I want to know... by Thelasko · · Score: 4, Informative

    how they did it. I work with diesel fuel systems. If I need to send a failed fuel pump back to the factory in Germany, it has to go by boat. The tiny amount of fuel still left in the pump after it is cleaned will get detected, and I will get a friendly visit from law enforcement if I try to send it by plane.

    --
    One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
    1. Re:I want to know... by Ogi_UnixNut · · Score: 3, Informative

      They used one of the component explosive (PETN) in SEMTEX.

      Developed in the USSR, SEMTEX was seen as highly dangerous (and liked by terrorists) because it nearly impossible to detect. So hard to detect, that nowadays SEMTEX actually has stuff added to it so it can be detected more easily and it's export and use is highly restricted (presumably why these guys decided not to actually use modern SEMTEX).

      Fuel gives off a very strong smell, making it trivial to detect :P

  2. Re:Home Security Theater by Rix · · Score: 4, Informative

    Yes, it is, and frankly, young Middle Eastern men have damned good reason to be nervous at a security checkpoint.

  3. Re:Diminishing returns... by sconeu · · Score: 4, Informative

    only allowing passengers to the gate (after screening) ensures we'll never have a 9/11-type attack again

    Why does this enhance security? All the 9/11 guys had valid tickets and boarding passes.

    --
    General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
  4. Re:Hang on... by Enuratique · · Score: 3, Informative

    From what I read, is that the PETN explosive put inside the toner cartridge looks just like toner powder through an X-Ray machine. At least one of these packages was screened through normal processes and was not detected. Another article I read said that the authorities in England couldn't find anything wrong with the printer they were told was a bomb until instructed by authorities in Dubai on what to look for. It sounds like this was an incredibly well-made bomb, and I think it is in part to the fact that visually it raised no red flags.

    --
    A black hole is where God divided by 0
  5. After reading this; by ameline · · Score: 4, Informative

    http://www.npr.org/assets/news/2010/05/17/concern.pdf

    I am not going to go through one of those machines.

    VERY scary stuff here.....

    --
    Ian Ameline