Slashdot Mirror
US Might Ban Laptops On All Flights Into And Out of the Country (reuters.com)
The United States might ban laptops from aircraft cabins on all flights into and out of the country as part of a ramped-up effort to protect against potential security threats, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said on Sunday. From a report:In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," Kelly said the United States planned to "raise the bar" on airline security, including tightening screening of carry-on items. "That's the thing that they are obsessed with, the terrorists, the idea of knocking down an airplane in flight, particularly if it's a U.S. carrier, particularly if it's full of U.S. people." In March, the government imposed restrictions on large electronic devices in aircraft cabins on flights from 10 airports, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Turkey. Kelly said the move would be part of a broader airline security effort to combat what he called "a real sophisticated threat." He said no decision had been made as to the timing of any ban. "We are still following the intelligence," he said, "and are in the process of defining this, but we're going to raise the bar generally speaking for aviation much higher than it is now."
That's about the only positive spin I can put on it. If they're worried about laptops with batteries, let me have one without; then I can just rent batteries when I travel, and the airline doesn't have to worry about it. It would be nice if the whole system could be more modular than laptops currently are.
Meanwhile terrorists are using trucks and going to concerts, not targeting planes. Naked flights coming soon.
You mean laptops with REMOVABLE batteries? That's crazy, that would never work! That has never existed before.
Reading between the lines, I infer that you're buying a laptop and then returning it. Besides the ethical issues, I've heard that some stores catch on to this and refuse to sell you stuff after a few times.
What you seem to have mastered that others could learn from is working from a generic system, keeping all your data separate (flash sticks and such).
Well, I think the whole idea is crazy. If people aren't allowed to carry them on, and they surely don't want to trust them to the baggage throwers, how are they supposed to bring a laptop with them on a business trip? Can people still bring their phones on the flight? How is a phone any different than a computer really? It's just a tiny computer. Can people bring phones, and bluetooth keyboards, and portable USB C monitors? You could basically bring all the components of a laptop on the plane without actually bringing any single item that actually qualifies as a laptop.
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
The real test about whether this is warranted is whether other countries will adopt similar bans. The ban on devices from Middle Eastern countries had a half-hearted and variable adoption in the UK and Canada. I also wonder if this is not a ploy of the terrorists. The IRA (Irish terrorist group not a US retirement account) used to phone up the police with fake bomb warnings for major London train stations to cause widespread disruption without actually having to do anything other than once every few years leaving a real but small explosive device just so the police could never ignore their warnings.
It seems that the current breed of terrorists might be playing the same game. Talking about a laptop device to bring down a plane when they think it is likely to be picked up simply to cause widespread disruption while sticking to bombing open venues, driving lorries through crowds or whatever similarly evil but security avoiding schemes their warped minds can come up with.
Size matters... I mean, that's what I've heard..
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
This below are comments from pilots and their spokespersons:
Some airline pilots and safety advocates have questioned putting more electronics into checked luggage. In rare circumstances, lithium-ion batteries spark fires, which could go undetected in the cargo hold.
After reports the U.S. would expand the laptop ban to Europe, the British Airline Pilots’ Association said May 15 that the risk would be greater with electronics in cargo than in the cabin.
“Given the risk of fire from these devices when they are damaged or they short-circuit, an incident in the cabin would be spotted earlier and this would enable the crew to react quickly before any fire becomes uncontainable,” said Steve Landells, a flight-safety specialist for British pilots. “If these devices are kept in the hold, the risk is that if a fire occurs the results can be catastrophic.”
Kelly told reporters Friday that the Federal Aviation Administration tracks safety issues while he oversees security, but he’s been told that batteries in electronics should be safe in checked luggage so long as they are turned off and not rattling around loose.
So now we're having to calculate if the risk of something really bad happening onboard due to an electronic device's battery kept in the cargo hold catching fire is higher than the risk of terrorists having explosives in their laptops.
You say: "I "rent" one. Not my problem"
It should be MADE your problem. Abusing return privileges at Best Buy, Target, WalMart, or other stores to get a free "rental" (when you never intended to buy anything in the first place) is completely unethical, and offloads the costs of YOUR use into the store and its customers.
If your intent is to rent, you should go to a store that RENTS laptops and PAY THEM for the temporary use of their equipment. Not sponge off the rest of us!
My concern isn't with what the US decides to do to people flying in and out of their country. There's no way I'd subject myself to that anyway.
My concern is that these horrible policies tend to be adopted by everyone else shortly afterwards. It's why I still can't take my water bottle on any flight despite there having never in the history of aviation ever been a credible threat related to liquids. (though at least I can keep my shoes on...)
Security theatre started in the US, and spread quickly to pretty much everywhere else. I just don't want to find that my own country is next with these stupid rules.
The thing is that it does not solve the real issue. The problem is NOT the PCs. The thing is the security theater and people being ok with it.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.