TSA: Some on US-bound flights must turn on phones

[jliechti1]

"TSA will not disclose which airports will be conducting the additional screening, although it will be at some airports with direct flights to the U.S. Industry data show that more than 250 foreign airports offer nonstop service to the U.S."

Prediction: after some time, they will just roll out this policy everywhere - including US domestic airports.

[rhizome]

Prediction: they will not say anything further and use it in completely arbitrary ways whenever and wherever they want.

[jimktrains2]

And this is why it pisses me off that the TSA (I'm only guessing someone official is controlling the account, even if not Mr. Feinstien)responded to my bitching by saying it's only international.

https://twitter.com/TSAmedia_RossF/status/485964450441072640

[jonjenk]

Would someone please start a religion that denies the authority of the TSA so we can opt out of this security theater on religious grounds?

[ninguem2]

If you are an Orthodox Jew, I don't think you can turn on a cellphone on the Sabbath.

[fit2rule]

See kids, religion has its uses ..

[tommoor]

They do this at Ben Gurion Airport too - make you turn on all your electronics, the Israeli airports are praised for their security procedures - right?

eg: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/23/airport-security_n_...

[bakareika]

Israeli here, flying to Europe couple of times/year. They don't make you turn on all electronics in Ben Gurion, that's just not true; asked me to boot up my laptop once or twice (probably because it can be used as a case for explosives due to its size), but not cellphone or an iPod.

Maybe they do check Muslims more thoroughly, that would make sense. I never took any interest in it, so cannot confirm it. (In the Army, I would totally pay much more attention to Arabs than to other civilians, but that's so painfully obvious, right?)

[darklajid]

Whenever that model is considered nice I try to paint a different picture. Example: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3283768#up_3285789

I've lived there for a year and travelled to Ben Gurion before and after that time. It's never pleasant and often downright insane.

[chimeracoder]

Israel openly practices racial profiling of passengers[0], something which is not legal in the US (which must instead practice it in secret)[1][2].

I would not want to use Israel's security procedures as a model for the US for a number of reasons - the unabashed racial profiling is one, but a more basic reason is the fact that Israel faces a very real and direct threat, whereas the TSA itself admits that there is no threat of terrorism in the US[3].

[0] From a Jewish publication: "Arab passengers, or non-Jews, for example, are routinely subjected to greater questioning than are Israeli Jews. " http://www.cjp.org/page.aspx?id=218685

[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/us/racial-profiling-at-bos...

[2]Officially, this was ended a few months ago in Israel (http://www.jonathan-cook.net/blog/2014-03-26/israel-ends-bla...) - it remains to be seen whether or not this has truly been ended in practice

[3] http://tsaoutofourpants.wordpress.com/2013/10/17/tsa-admits-...

[steve19]

I assume this is so they can log cell phone/tablet IMEI numbers and/or MAC addresses at the airport while the foreigners queue to be finger printed and photographed?

If they log the IMEI they can track most foreigners as they move around the country. Even if they are not bringing sim cards, the phones will still try to connect to a local network to allow emergency calls.

Or maybe so they can confiscate and download the contents of electronics devices quickly with as little delay as possible (it can take 5-10+ minutes before a completely dead smartphone has enough charge to complete a boot up).

[pudquick]

Then include your device, powered on in airplane mode, in an easy to reach pocket.

Easy to prove it's on, just don't take it out of airplane mode until you arrive at your destination. In flight you could power it off & back on before touchdown to preserve battery.

[rb2k_]

Actually, in the line that I usually wait for to be finger printed and photographed, there are signs everywhere telling you to NOT use a cellphone.

Seeing as it can take up to an hour, most people would probably love to do so.

[callahad]

Wow, that's a blast from the past. I recall having to do the same with my Game Boy and cell phone when traveling through ATL in the 90's, well before the TSA was created.

[pigDisgusting]

Except last time I checked, possession of a mobile device is not required by law? So, what the fuck.

  Not to mention: [
       
      "the battery's dead and the proprietary charger
      is stuck in checked baggage", "whoops i lost the 
      battery", "whoops i dropped the phone and now it 
      is broken", "whoops cannot power on without 
      password for encryption", "aw shucks my phone is 
      keister stashed so come get it big boy", "hello 
      look at this childrens toy which very closely 
      resembles a cellular phone ha ha", "gee why does 
      this powered on mobile device emit far more radio 
      spectrum energy than expected even though i am 
      usually a law abiding citizen?"
      
  ]

[WildUtah]

Airports that are operated competently will provide μUSB and Lightning power tables at security. Mercenary airports will provide for-pay stations.

Lots of international airports are competently run. Most US airports, unfortunately, are neither competent nor even competently mercenary so there will be trouble when the TSA imports this plan to the USA.

[grrowl]

TFA states passengers will have to turn on their phones if they have them. I assume the fear is that you'll have a phone-like bomb with a chemical battery-like component.

Toothpaste remains completely banned.

[weeder]

    var terroristWarningFlags = // sarcasm...?

Either way, with the TSA you don't win with reason or truth.

[imchillyb]

This has to be one of the silliest moves yet.

What a monstrous waste the TSA is. A waste in resources better utilized elsewhere.

[higherpurpose]

TSA is not a waste. It's a business model (for some).

[LammyL]

Can't the TSA just do what the Canadians do and swab electronics and use the ion scanner?

[err4nt]

If explosives were what they were really searching for you would be absolutely correct.

[gcb0]

http://xkcd.com/651/

and by turning it on you just proved you have the materials for a bomb. touche.

[ivanca]

You also have to press all the possible combination of numbers on your device, just to make sure there isn't one to activate a bomb. You also have to open all the apps in your smartphone, just in case one of them is "open to blow the bomb".

[prescindor]

So you've got 17 apps on your phone. And all you need to do to see Allah is to open 5 of them in sequence. 17x16x15x14x13 = 742560.

Or maybe all you have to do is get your unlock password wrong a certain way.

Fact is, the fact your phone boots makes it more of a threat, not less. LOL!

Fact is, this is not about security. It is an exercise in security theater.

[tlrobinson]

Because it's impossible to build a cell phone bomb that also functions?

[phazmatis]

To be extra cautious, they should profile people with older blockier phones. Oh no, now I said it, the TSA will likely do it. xD

[chrismorgan]

I wonder what will be done in the case of laptops with dead/no batteries.

[ixwt]

> It says devices that won't power up won't be allowed on planes, and those travelers may have to undergo additional screening.

Better bring your charger.

[krisgee]

Another on the long list of reasons I don't every fly to, from or through the USA even though it sometimes makes my routes longer and more expensive.

[chrismcb]

Right, because only USA airports (or flying to US) has stupid rules? I've gone through the same inane things in other countries. In fact the only time I've ever had to turn on my computer was outside of US flying to another country outside the US.

[poopsintub]

Bravo, go ahead and pat yourself on the back again as you add nothing to the conversation.

[userbinator]

Duplicate: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7996380

[cordite]

So, is this effectively saying that the scanners and such have been seriously flawed this whole time?

[aviv]

This is step one. Then in a few months they will introduce new requirements to hand over the login password so the TSA agent can confirm the laptop indeed works.