Welcome to the US, they say when you arrive at the customs!

I have just read this article.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-9892897-38.html?hhTest=1

Is it true? Cnet is usually not a tabloid. Scary, no... What do you do with yours?

 

cp

Jen,

I have also read this before but, don't know anyone whom this has happened to.

If it were as common as the article makes it sounds you would think one of us would know someone it happened to.

 

I was warned about this before traveling to Mexico...

 

Here are current policies:

http://www.cdt.org/security/20080716_CBP Search Policy.pdf

http://www.cdt.org/security/20080716_ICE Search Policy.pdf

 

Yep. Welcome to the USSA! Aint it great?

 

Unfortunately, it's true. A way to avoid having your laptop or hard drive confiscated is to have nothing on it that will engage an examiner's interest. With the advent of broadband and the number of free and paid secure online storage sites, there is no need to retain sensitive documents locally on a machine that is at risk of being examined, or even worse, lost during your travels.

The big free players, AOL's X-Drive, Yahoo's Briefcase and Microsoft's Sky Drive, offer at least 5 GB of free, password protected storage and all three offer more on pay plans.

Google the term "online storage" and you'll get a huge number of plans. Not only can you store with any of these plans, but you can also share files securely in an invitation-only, password protected manner.

Upload your files, clean off your laptop and fly away. Arrive, plug in, and download what you need.

Don't store any of the X-Drive, etc passwords or bookmarks on your machine. Download a copy of The Cat That Ate the Hat and let that be the only thing in your documents folder. They'll probably grab you for copyright infringement .

 

Now some "good" news??

http://www.tsa.gov/press/happenings/simplifying_laptop_bag_procedures.shtm

 

What a load of balony. My favorite: "TSOs know what the inside of a computer should look like, and can recognize irregularities." The average TSO that I've encountered couldn't find his butt with both hands, a flashlight and a road map.

How about "simplifying" procedures so that I remain in sight of my laptop, shoes, wallet, watch, keys, etc instead of having an anxiety attack as my stuff disappears into the maw of the x-ray machine while I'm stuck behind some poor guy with a plate in his head being wanded over and over again while my stuff sits at the end of the line 20 feet away with myriad strangers milling about and blocking my view.

Last year, in exactly this senario, I had two bottles of Lagavulen Double Matured lifted while I waited for Mrs. Hip-Replacement to clear. I filed the paperwork. It's been 18 months. I'm still waiting.

What I really want to know is why it takes 75 minutes to clear security in Miami and 10 minutes in Hannover, Germany. BTW, you don't strip, you're not barefoot, and evidentally the Germans have x-ray machines that can see through cloth and leather, because you don't have to unload your computer bag either. You carry your watch and keys and change to the x-ray machine and you travel through the metal detector in synch with your stuff being x-rayed. You arrive at the other side right next to your stuff. Based on the number of terror incidents erupting at that airport, namely none, I think they're doing an okay job.

It's a bit more "rigorous" in Amsterdam, but you still clear in less than a quarter hour. These are the two European airports I travel to regularly, along with Heathrow. Heathrow, being British and Britain being a close ally of the US, uses security procedures as arcane and stupid as the US, and therefore clearence times at Heathrow are measured on a geological scale. I'm sure whole families have been born, matured and died there while waiting to clear.

The TSA is yet another example of how not to do something. Grrr.

 

I think this is due to the fact that Miami airport, like Cancun airport, has tons of unsavory activity in it. I think that Miami is the port of entry for lots of people entering the US with fake or ill-gotten passports, for drugs, for illegals, you name it. TSA is useless, obviously, but some of the problem with Miami is geographical. It's close to Cuba, close to S. America, close to Mexico, that airport is used by all kinds of people who are up to no good.

I would love to hear the stories that the people working in that airport tell when they get home at night. Just the crap happening in Cancun's airport is mind-blowing to me. And Miami is a much busier airport. I can't imagine the kind of crazy sh!t that must happen there on a daily basis.

 

miami

Over the past 8 years I have probably flown through Miami 400 times and in a very perverse way came to truly enjoy the airport and all its chaos....

Regarding the taking of computers I have also read this on the internet but, even with all my international travel, that of other people within my company and all of our extended friends we don't know of a hard drive or computer being confiscated. It appears that noone on this board does either so it appears to be one of those things that can happen but, we don't know of it happening.

With regards to 75 minute cues at Miami, there are many different terminal entrances. I always shopped for the shortest queue and never waited 75 mintues. Additionally there was an incredible amount of human error from the passenger side that really slowed the process down. If you have 50 people taking extra time to take their belt off, laptop out etc. it really adds up.

I flew through Heathrow yesterday and I did not have to take my computer out. That was a first and the queue took only about 5 minutes but, that was because there were not a lot of people there yet.

I appreciate the fact that you might not like our airport and the airport security process but, I think that Miami is pretty effective and will second the thoughts that Rivergirl had as I am sure there is so much going on there that we don't knkow about.

With regards to your bottles of scotch I am sorry that someone lifted them. I had tons of stuff stolen during 4 years of Mexico but, did not feel the need to fill the board with anger. If it will make you feel better I will buy you a drink if I ever see you in the Miami Airport.