Rename filenames, avoid laptop confiscation

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Taking your laptop to the airport has been increasingly met with inspections. There’s a rising risk that your laptop and all its data might be confiscated if a search (random or otherwise) yields “suspicious” files.

Joe Sharkey’s column this week offers a simple, if potentially tedious and time-consuming suggestion: Rename files that raise suspicion because of their potentially terror-inducing names like “blueprint.” Instead, give them more innocuous names like “fuzzy kitten photos” or “grandma.”

So how long before Joe gets accused of aiding and abetting terrorism by giving the baddies a way to circumvent laptop seizures? Or before everyone with actual fuzzy kitten photos or files related to their grandmother gets their laptop confiscated? Wait for it…

(image)

« Short hops — November 6, 2006

TSA brings passenger security checks to the rails »

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 7th, 2006 at 3:20 pm and is filed under airport security, laptops, travel. You can subscribe to the comments left on this individual post through this RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 Responses to “Rename filenames, avoid laptop confiscation”

1. TierFlyer says:
   November 12th, 2006 at 8:45 pm |

   What a load of southbound end of northbound horse byproduct.

   In hundreds of trips since 911 I’ve never seen a laptop opened, much less inspected.

   Why not worry about carrying pictures of your Aunt Fanny next to the Golden Gate?

   Sheeeesh.

2. Better Living Through Miles says:
   November 12th, 2006 at 8:47 pm |

   My laptop has been opened and turned on once by TSA during a SSSS. But this is slightly different, and primarily a US Customs issue. See here for some more info.:
   http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/10/24/business/laptop.php

   Is it rare? Yes. Can it happen? Yes. Will I be renaming files “cookie recipe”? No. But I’ll be better about backing up files, for sure…

3. TierFlyer says:
   November 12th, 2006 at 8:48 pm |

   Well, backing up files before a trip is good. I do it before any trip and ever Friday (when home). I’m considering one of those background program thingies that backs up file too.

   Anyway, I sent an email to a dozen or so people who work with me (all big travellers) and none of them had ever seen or heard of such a thing.

   I suspect your experience, while spooky, is quite rare.

4. Better Living Through Miles says:
   November 14th, 2006 at 7:23 pm |

   Also consider:
   http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-biztravel4nov04,0,3063025.story?coll=la-headlines-business

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