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About the whole Airport (real airport) checking notebook contents thing + more!! !!

edcoche

edcoche

macrumors regular
Original poster
I am about to fly sometime soon and I once read an article or to that identified a topic that affects millions of people out there that travel with their notebooks. The topic showed how to hide your account and create a 'dummy' one so when airport customs and/or security officials look at the machine you just log into the dummy one and show 'em around so they dont get to see (or even know) that there is another user that has music and videos that could be considered copyright infringement. Even though they cannot prove right then and there that I do not rightfully own the media contents aforementioned. One more thing.....I only have 2 accounts. The admin, and a guest one. So EVERYTHING is on my admin account. Any and all advice will be appreciated. 😕

-Ed
 
Airport security could care less about copyright infringement. The reason they ask you to boot up your machine is to see if it's a real computer and not some sort of bomb!

Regards.
 
I fly 20-30 times a year and I have not once been required to turn on my laptop or otherwise. While this may sound insensitive, its the truth: unless you have a turban or a scary sounding last name, you aren't going to be checked. I'm about as white bread as it gets and I haven't even been taken aside for a security check in 500,000 miles flown.

The last thing they want is to think is that you're hiding something, which is what a blank user account is going to say. You aren't going to be arrested for some downloaded MP3's, so unless you've got the plans to a doomsday device; I think you're better off playing it straight.
 
taylorwilsdon said:
I fly 20-30 times a year and I have not once been required to turn on my laptop or otherwise. While this may sound insensitive, its the truth: unless you have a turban or a scary sounding last name, you aren't going to be checked. I'm about as white bread as it gets and I haven't even been taken aside for a security check in 500,000 miles flown.

The last thing they want is to think is that you're hiding something, which is what a blank user account is going to say. You aren't going to be arrested for some downloaded MP3's, so unless you've got the plans to a doomsday device; I think you're better off playing it straight.
Click to expand...

wait, on average you fly about once every 2 weeks?
awesome!

i have only flown once and it was about 90 miles..
 
I don't think that there is all that much to be concerned about, and I don't think that they can ask you to do much more than turn it on. I believe to search it any more than physically and boot up would be an invasion of privacy (at least in the US), but then again, I do not exactly know what extra rights to search they are allowed.

bc008 said:
wait, on average you fly about once every 2 weeks?
awesome!...
Click to expand...
It amazes me how often some people fly, a man my dad works with on some cases flies out to LA from Boston every other weekend just to spend 3 days over there.
 
HUh?

I fly with my laptop 15-20 times a year and have never, ever been asked to open it. I was once asked to turn my iPhone on, but that's it.

I've also never been searched, but I've seen plenty of grandma and grandpa types patted down. I felt so bad for them.
 
appleretailguy said:
I fly with my laptop 15-20 times a year and have never, ever been asked to open it. I was once asked to turn my iPhone on, but that's it.
Click to expand...

The last time I was asked to turrn my notebook on (several years ago, but post 9/11) was because I was an idiot and forgot to take it out of my bag for the scan.... 😱
 
JML42691 said:
It amazes me how often some people fly, a man my dad works with on some cases flies out to LA from Boston every other weekend just to spend 3 days over there.
Click to expand...

My old man flies once, sometimes twice a week; mostly to Canada and LA from here (Seattle). He has never had to turn his laptop on either. That is 50+ flights a year, or 100+ actual plane rides (round trip). This "issue" is hyped beyond any touch of reality.

m85476585 said:
This does happen when crossing the border into the US.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/pos...-privacy-invading-border-laptop-searches.html
Click to expand...

Has it happened to you personally, or are you basing that off an article about a bunch of babies getting their panties in a bunch over something that really don't happen?
 
I fly about 90 or so segments a year, and the last time I had to turn on the laptop was, um, three laptops ago, Winter '01/'02 if memory serves. Even my international flight in January was just same old, same old.

Unless you fit a particular profile, or do something very stupid, they just. Don't. Care.

Hell, I forget to pull out my baggie of liquids half the time, and they don't concern themselves with that, either. And I NEVER take off my belt. Then again, maybe they just all know me by now, too.
 
I have had to open my laptop once out of the 2-3 times I have flown with it, just had to open it and show them the screen come on, then close it. I have also had my xbox (original) taken out of the box and my game case flipped through.
 
Yep

mkrishnan said:
The last time I was asked to turrn my notebook on (several years ago, but post 9/11) was because I was an idiot and forgot to take it out of my bag for the scan.... 😱
Click to expand...

Whoops. That'll happen. I once forgot that I had a bottle of soda in my computer bag. They freaked and almost didn't let me board. I swear I just forgot, but they were having none of it. I got a nice lecture.

Hell, it wasnt't even opened. And yes, I know the rules.
 
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