What To Do If the Laptop Ban Goes Global (backchannel.com)

"The U.S. is reportedly seriously considering a greatly expanded ban on laptops in airplane cabins," writes Slashdot reader mirandakatz -- sharing some advice from Dan Gillmor. If the government still allows laptops to be checked in with luggage, "the priority will be to discourage tampering and mitigate the risks associated with theft," he writes, envisioning that "If I have to check mine, I'll pack it in bubble wrap and tape, and do some other things to make it evident if someone has tampered with the machine." But of course there's other precautions: [W]e can travel with bare-bones operating system setups, with as little personal or business data as possible (preferably none at all) on the laptop's internal disk drive. When we arrive and get back online, we can work mostly in browsers and retrieve what we need from cloud storage for the specific applications that have to run "locally" on the PC... You might also get a Chromebook for international travel. Chromebooks run Google's Chrome operating system and keep pretty much all data in Google's cloud. So you could carry a bare Chromebook through a border, go online, and retrieve the information you need. You have to completely trust Google with this method...

[The article also suggests encrypting the hard disk -- along with your phone -- or carrying an external drive.] I use the Ubuntu operating system, and this simplifies creating a special travel setup. In preparation for international hassles, I've put a copy of my OS and essential data files on an encrypted USB thumb drive, which holds 256 gigabytes of data... If I've forgotten to load some specific files, and I have them backed up in the cloud, I can always go there.
Because of all the additional security procedures, he utlimately predicts higher ticket prices, fewer business travellers, and, according to Bruce Schneier, "a new category of 'trusted travelers' who are allowed to carry their electronics onto planes."

Comments

Theft and Damage

[Anonymous Coward]

Honestly, who the heck trusts that their laptop would not be seriously damaged or stolen if they check it in their baggage? I've had things that were MUCH LESS fragile than a laptop completely destroyed in checked baggage.

Re:Theft and Damage

[jfdavis668]

I check my laptop in my baggage every time I fly overseas. I'm not interested in working on the flight. Never had a problem with it. You do have to properly pack it. I have a case specifically made to pack it into your luggage for protection. You can't just throw it on top and close the bag and expect it to survive.

Avoid travel or leave laptop at home

[religionofpeas]

My plan is to avoid travel by plane as much as I can. And if I really have to travel, then I'm going to leave my laptop at home. I don't trust the baggage handlers not to steal it, so checking in is not an option.

Re:Avoid travel or leave laptop at home

[Alypius]

For domestic flights, you could always check your laptop with your firearm (even a starter pistol qualifies). The items in the case are inventoried at both ends of the flight and the law requires a keyed padlock (no TSA locks).

Re:Avoid travel or leave laptop at home

[quetwo]

I used to fly with a flare gun all the time in my checked luggage. Flare guns are allowed in every state (and even traveling to Canada), require no permits and allow you to follow the TSA "gun" policy. My lock, hard-sided case, fully real-time traceable, and if the airline looses it, they get fined $250,000 -- so they make sure they actually keep track of it. It takes an additional 5 minutes to check-in, and most of the time your luggage will be first off with somebody waiting with it (except for the smallest airports, where you have to go to the luggage office to sign for it). No additional cost to do it except for Spirit.

just take the PC

[ooloorie]

You can travel with something like an Intel NUC Skull Canyon or a Compute Stick and just plug it into the hotel TV's HDMI port. No laptop battery, no fire hazard, etc. Or you can simply use your phone as a computer and plug it into an HDMI port.

You can carry sensitive data on a separate micro-SD card, which, realistically, airport security or passport control won't look for or find unless you're already on a terrorist watch list, in which case a laptop ban is the least of your worries.

We don't need laptops anymore

[140Mandak262Jamuna]

It is will just erode the market share of laptops. We really don't need lug around a keyboard, screen, pointing device and a battery anymore. Just a simple nexus-4 sized pack with memory and cpu. Docking stations that can take this device and add a keyboard, mouse, pointing device and a screen will hit the market. Hotels will provide it, may be for a fee, may be free. We will have one dock at work and one at home. We might buy and keep more such docks for visitors and guests. This is going to be the future. Will happen whether laptops get banned on planes or not. If laptop ban goes global this will accelerate the timeline.

Re:We don't need laptops anymore

[Anonymous Coward]

And when I need to work at a client, I need their docking station, with complementary keylogger.

And when I need to work around without stopping at a hotel I need to take with me the docking station (lol)

No, laptops are not going anywhere. The only reason the sales are down is because we are hitting the "good enough" target with 4-5 year products, a 3 year laptop is not crap anymore.

Not to mention the absurdity of trying to work on a mobile operating system. You want me to work on android? ios? it's a joke, right?

Re:Do it the old fashioned way...

[Hognoxious]

I'm a doctor you insensitive clod, my handwritings already encrypted!

We could do all that shit

[fustakrakich]

Or we could elect a different class of politicians instead of following blind tribalism. Sorry, but all this is self inflicted, and every chance they have, the voters only make it worse.