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posted by martyb on Saturday July 29 2017, @11:17PM   Printer-friendly
from the taking-off-of-the-brave dept.

The saga of the so-called "laptop ban" gains a new chapter today.

Schiphol Airport and KLM (royal Dutch airlines) confirm to well-known Dutch tech website Tweakers that they check tablets, e-readers, laptops, ... (electronics "bigger than a smartphone") to see if the hardware has been opened. [Implicitly, this is about US-bound flights, although the article text doesn't make this explicit] If they suspect so, the airline is notified, who may disallow you from boarding. A spokesperson for Schiphol airport confirms

"The rule is that if we suspect at the security check that the hardware has been opened in a way not consistent with normal use, we report this to the airline. It's up to the airline to take action." (translation mine)

In the article, it's mentioned that a TSA spokesperson confirms the existence of this rule. Apparently, it's a concrete measure following the "Aviation Enhanced Security Measures" of the DHS. The Tweakers article mentions that such 'suspect' electronics are allowed in the luggage area, where "experts say battery explosions can do more harm" than in the passenger compartment (as personnel cannot extinguish fires).

Apparently, this has already caused a few incidents where passengers were stopped and denied boarding at the jet bridge due to a missing screw or "damage to the electronics".


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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Sunday July 30 2017, @12:28AM (11 children)

    by Rosco P. Coltrane (4757) on Sunday July 30 2017, @12:28AM (#546492)

    I replaced the battery in my Galaxy Note 8.0 the other day. The shell was so hard to open I cracked it a bit at one corner. I guess that moves me instantly to the no-fly list then.

    Oh wait... It doesn't really matter: I don't travel to dictatorships, so I should be fine.

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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by tibman on Sunday July 30 2017, @01:08AM (1 child)

    by tibman (134) Subscriber Badge on Sunday July 30 2017, @01:08AM (#546503)

    No, you are fine. They ignore cell phones.

    --
    SN won't survive on lurkers alone. Write comments.
    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by FakeBeldin on Sunday July 30 2017, @10:57AM

      by FakeBeldin (3360) on Sunday July 30 2017, @10:57AM (#546627) Journal

      Well, he did mention a Galaxy Note. Those things are so large, do they count as phones?
      At least, to the people doing the checking?

      (wish I could mean this sarcastically, but honestly: I don't know any more).

  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by Immerman on Sunday July 30 2017, @03:44AM (1 child)

    by Immerman (3985) on Sunday July 30 2017, @03:44AM (#546537)

    You replaced the battery yourself? Clearly you possess high-risk technical skills, better to purge you from society before you're tempted to use them for evil.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 30 2017, @05:43AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 30 2017, @05:43AM (#546572)

      There was a Sci Fi story that did just this. Children failed the exam if they passed

  • (Score: 2) by unauthorized on Sunday July 30 2017, @04:58AM (6 children)

    by unauthorized (3776) on Sunday July 30 2017, @04:58AM (#546561)

    Oh wait... It doesn't really matter: I don't travel to dictatorships oligarchies, so I should be fine.

    FTFY

    The US has been a fucked up place for over 1.5 decades by now and there is no such thing as a "dictatorship" changing it's "dictators" through popular vote.

    • (Score: 1, Disagree) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 30 2017, @05:21AM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 30 2017, @05:21AM (#546569)

      there is no such thing as a "dictatorship" changing it's "dictators" through popular vote.

      Unless I've spent in coma the terms of President Al Gore and President Hillary Clinton, neither does the US :)

      • (Score: 2) by unauthorized on Sunday July 30 2017, @06:23AM (1 child)

        by unauthorized (3776) on Sunday July 30 2017, @06:23AM (#546577)

        sed -i -e 's/popular vote/an elective system employing universal suffrage/g' "#546561"

        For the chronically incapable of practicing good faith, the intent is to refer to the de facto method of governance, much like the original comment in the chain.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 31 2017, @04:15AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 31 2017, @04:15AM (#546971)

          I'm not sure what the non-owner population of the US universally suffering for decades has to do with President Gore and Hillary Clinton winning the popular vote?

    • (Score: 2) by urza9814 on Monday July 31 2017, @10:11PM (2 children)

      by urza9814 (3954) on Monday July 31 2017, @10:11PM (#547394) Journal

      The US has been a fucked up place for over 1.5 decades by now and there is no such thing as a "dictatorship" changing it's "dictators" through popular vote.

      Right! We're definitely as far from a dictatorship as North Korea, who meets the same qualifications...

      • (Score: 2) by unauthorized on Tuesday August 01 2017, @08:10AM (1 child)

        by unauthorized (3776) on Tuesday August 01 2017, @08:10AM (#547554)

        Ah, yes exactly the same. In the US, you can publicly ridicule the president and the worst you'll get in response is mean tweets. In NK, voting against Glorious Leader is grounds for execution. Literally no difference!

        • (Score: 2) by urza9814 on Tuesday August 01 2017, @07:11PM

          by urza9814 (3954) on Tuesday August 01 2017, @07:11PM (#547733) Journal

          Ah, yes exactly the same. In the US, you can publicly ridicule the president and the worst you'll get in response is mean tweets. In NK, voting against Glorious Leader is grounds for execution. Literally no difference!

          Just like there's apparently no difference between "NK is *exactly* like the USA in every way" and "Merely having elections is a shit metric of freedom or democracy"...