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

<i>&quot;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.&quot;</i><p>Prediction: after some time, they will just roll out this policy everywhere - including US domestic airports.

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?

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?<p>eg: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/23/airport-security_n_4494308.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.huffingtonpost.com&#x2F;2013&#x2F;12&#x2F;23&#x2F;airport-security_n_...</a>

I assume this is so they can log cell phone&#x2F;tablet IMEI numbers and&#x2F;or MAC addresses at the airport while the foreigners queue to be finger printed and photographed?<p>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.<p>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).

Wow, that&#x27;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&#x27;s, well before the TSA was created.

Except last time I checked, possession of a mobile device is not required by law? So, what the fuck.<p><pre><code> Not to mention: [ &quot;the battery&#x27;s dead and the proprietary charger is stuck in checked baggage&quot;, &quot;whoops i lost the battery&quot;, &quot;whoops i dropped the phone and now it is broken&quot;, &quot;whoops cannot power on without password for encryption&quot;, &quot;aw shucks my phone is keister stashed so come get it big boy&quot;, &quot;hello look at this childrens toy which very closely resembles a cellular phone ha ha&quot;, &quot;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?&quot; ]</code></pre>

This has to be one of the silliest moves yet.<p>What a monstrous waste the TSA is. A waste in resources better utilized elsewhere.

Can&#x27;t the TSA just do what the Canadians do and swab electronics and use the ion scanner?

<a href="http://xkcd.com/651/" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;xkcd.com&#x2F;651&#x2F;</a><p>and by turning it on you just proved you have the materials for a bomb. touche.

You also have to press all the possible combination of numbers on your device, just to make sure there isn&#x27;t one to activate a bomb. You also have to open all the apps in your smartphone, just in case one of them is &quot;open to blow the bomb&quot;.

Because it&#x27;s impossible to build a cell phone bomb that also functions?

I wonder what will be done in the case of laptops with dead&#x2F;no batteries.

Another on the long list of reasons I don&#x27;t every fly to, from or through the USA even though it sometimes makes my routes longer and more expensive.

Duplicate: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7996380" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=7996380</a>

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

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.