International conferences should be considering this also. I'm a plain white guy with nothing dramatic to hide and I was apprehensive on my recent visit to the US. I can imagine people working in tech security, or with backgrounds/family from particular countries, would be more nervous.

I work in tech security and indeed, I've thought about this topic and I'd be nervous as hell.

Then again, needing to put my laptop in check-in luggage (with a backdoored lock? Is that really a thing? I only saw "TSA-approved locks" mentioned somewhere and am only inferring the existence of backdoored locks here) is a no-go in the first place, so I'd need to (1) want to go to the USA, (2) not take a laptop and (3) probably buy a special backdoored suitcase. That's a pretty rare combination.

Just think of TSA locks as open source locks https://github.com/Xyl2k/TSA-Travel-Sentry-master-keys

You don't need the backdoored lock. The TSA will helpfully use bolt cutters on any locks they don't have a working key for.

Source: Me and my suitcase a couple of years ago. (Which had a TSA approved lock on it!!)

1. Don't take the laptop, preferably don't take a phone, unless you can factory wipe it before entering customs. If this is not an option, don't go. With 10 years in forensics/ more in IT and a good/careful eye to the legislation, I have made the sad decision I can't go. (various work conferences)

Factory-wiping will not stop them from installing a rootkit in something like the SSD controller's firmware. I would be very reluctant to take any electronics with me across a US border. Maybe a cheap Android phone (that's not my main phone and that's not logged into my actual Google account) so that I can call up a map or get a taxi.

The laptop thing seemed to have been in response to a legitimate terror threat actually, unlike all the other travel bans we've been seeing. I recall that the UK imposed it too, or was trying to, in response to intelligence reports that ISIS was going to use this attack vector.

Couldn't this hurt people in the US who want to go to a conference but would have trouble with reentry?

Since they have meetings rotating between multiple continents, the WG chair probably already knows about all participants for which this is an issue. They explicitly mention being aware of this problem in their announcement, but that they deem it less critical right now.

Yes it can if you are referring to non-citizens.

I'm a US citizen and routinely fly to various out of country locations including somewhat suspicious places like Belarus (no longer need a visa to go there for short trips) and have never had a problem re-entering. It probably doesn't hurt that I'm a middle-aged white guy, though.

Yes, but it's better than the alternative.