US to ban laptops and tablets on flights from eight countries

[nitpicker]

Source: BBC

US to ban laptops and tablets on flights from eight countries

3 hours ago

From the section US & Canada


The US is banning electronic devices from cabin baggage on flights from eight mainly Middle Eastern and North African countries. A US government source told the BBC that the measure would affect nine airlines operating out of 10 airports. US media reported the order was sparked by intelligence gathered overseas.

It will reportedly include all large electronic devices such as laptops, tablets cameras, DVD players and electronic games, but not phones. Medical devices will also be exempt from the ban.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) declined to comment on the issue but is expected to make an announcement on Tuesday. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which is part of Homeland Security, also refused to comment.

A formal list of the airlines affected has yet to be released, but an official speaking to the Associated Press (AP) said it would apply to the following 10 airports in eight countries:
◾Queen Alia International, Amman, Jordan
◾Cairo International Airport, Egypt
◾Ataturk Airport, Istanbul, Turkey
◾King Abdulaziz International, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
◾King Khalid International, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
◾Kuwait International Airport
◾Mohammed V International, Casablanca, Morocco
◾Hamad International, Doha, Qatar
◾Dubai International, United Arab Emirates
◾Abu Dhabi International, United Arab Emirates

Officials said the ban had no end date. AP reported that airlines would not be officially informed of the ban until 03:00 ET (07:00 GMT) on Tuesday.
(snip)

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly reportedly called congressional lawmakers over the weekend to explain the travel security issues that prompted the electronics ban, a congressional aide briefed on the discussion told the AP news agency. The new ban has been under consideration for several weeks, according to US media.


Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39333424

[truthisfreedom]

1. nutjob had an alzheimer's vision

[Rhiannon12866]

2. Huh?? So how are they supposed to see his Tweets??

[Kittycow]

3. Pretty sure our next attack will be from a sleeper cell already here.

I guess the White House has to look like they're working.

[woodsprite]

4. It is already happening, and Goldilocks is sleeping in the White House. N/t

[IronLionZion]

13. our next attack will be from Americans with guns

as it already happens all the time without people calling them terrorists if they are white or black.

[The Sand Reckoner]

6. This has zero to do with travel security

It is simply a back door way to discourage as much travel as possible from these countries. How do you want to bet that the TSA will be rifling baggage for laptops, and probably confiscating a few arbitrarily?

US companies that do business in those countries will likely push back on this.

[Rhiannon12866]

7. He doesn't care about businesses in this country

Unless they're his. Or anywhere else, for that matter. He's already crippled the tourist industry.

[The Sand Reckoner]

23. The businesses will not push back against Trump

They will push back against the members of Congress that they've bought and paid for.

[metalbot]

10. They can already confiscate laptops at the border

What is more likely is that they'll be copying hard drives of people that they are interested in, and the owner would have no way to know.

[Yo_Mama]

28. The UK & Canada are also doing this - there must be a specific threat.

I doubt very much the UK wants to discourage travel from these countries. London lives on finance, and several of these ports of origin carry cash cows to London.

[The Sand Reckoner]

30. Threat from what?

We're still taking our shoes off by the millions...does any sane person think there is still a credible threat from more mad shoe bombers? The three ounce rule is patently ludicrous and increases safety not one bit against smart, determined people. This is more security theater.

[longship]

8. Security theater!

Here's Bruce Schneier on it:

On edit: Schneier coined the term.

Wiki: Security theater

[Sunlei]

9. Dubai International, United Arab Emirates! All the Americans on luxury vacations won't like this.

Plenty of American based Corporation people fly Dubais direct luxury flights.

[sinkingfeeling]

14. Will that include Eric and Donnie Jr. who go there on 'business'?

[Sunlei]

17. I bet they fly on private or government provided jets. "Bans" never effect upper crust people.

[tammywammy]

11. This is awful for business travelers.

[bigworld]

12. Supposedly this only affects FOREIGN carriers

not US airlines. So it has NOTHING to do with security.

[IronLionZion]

15. To prevent people from working or watching movies

which has nothing to do with security since these items are already removed from bags for screening.

A lot of US citizens work or fly through the middle east to Asia for work all the time. Often the only flights from DC to South Asia are through the middle east.

Racist assholes

[Recursion]

16. While this conceivably could make sense, the lack of specific dimensions is infuriating

Particularly as some of the larger devices marketed as "phones" are bigger than some of the smaller devices marketed as "tablets". I have a Samsung Tab A with a SIM card. Is it a "phone" or a "tablet"? Is that up to whoever does my security screen in Dubai?

[uppityperson]

20. Do you talk on it, have a cell phone plan via the sim card? I got one recently and am learning

thanks

[Recursion]

22. I did for a bit, but I feel really stupid since it's roughly the size of my face

So, I got a bluetooth headset I use with it. I mostly use the SIM card for the data, but I do make & take calls on it some.

[Yo_Mama]

29. The UK ban has very specific dimensions - here's article

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-39352133

[Coventina]

18. I would support this if it included all laptops and tablets. No matter the country of origin.

But, I'm an old curmudgeon that way....

[uppityperson]

19. Why not let me read on my kindle while flying?

Kindles are tablets and used primarily for reading books. They are great to travel with because I can take many books in the size of 1 paperback.

[Coventina]

24. I guess I didn't think of Kindles as being tablets.

Apologies.

I was more complaining about the people who have these huge "laptops" that take up half your space while in use.

[uppityperson]

25. That is annoying, I agree

[lostnfound]

27. International flights usually have more space.. but wish the space wasn't so limited anyway

Like so many parts of our new world economy, space is a limited resource allocated in such a way to give maximum luxury to 2% while the experience for the majority is just "miserable but survivable"

[uppityperson]

21. I found the possible reason, an airport worker gave a passenger an exploding laptop last yr

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35521646

....But he added that airport staff are the weak point in security all over the world.
"One of the easiest ways into today's system is to subvert employees who have passes to go into airside," he added......

Looks like the solution is better security at airports since an employee could give an exploding backpack, stuffed toy, purse, bag, doggiebag/food service container, canteen, book, coat, etc etc etc to someone and the only way to keep everything large enough to explode off a plane is strip the passengers as they enter the plane.

And in this case, they did not send the laptop through security so this ban would not have caught it unless there was a second pat down/examination as they entered the plane.

If this was indeed where the exploding laptop came from.

[Rhiannon12866]

26. So an employee passed this on?

Seems to me like tighter security is the solution rather than restricting ordinary items that passengers bring on planes.

[TexasBushwhacker]

31. Wouldn't be pretty easy to just fly to Paris first and

Change airlines to fly to the US? I swear Trump is dumb as a bag of rocks.