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

Re:TSA: Some on US-bound flights must turn on phones by pigDisgusting on Sunday July 06, 2014 @11:23PM (#7996868)

Except last time I checked, possession of a mobile device is not required by law? So, what the fuck.

  Not to mention: [
       
      "the battery's dead and the proprietary charger
      is stuck in checked baggage", "whoops i lost the 
      battery", "whoops i dropped the phone and now it 
      is broken", "whoops cannot power on without 
      password for encryption", "aw shucks my phone is 
      keister stashed so come get it big boy", "hello 
      look at this childrens toy which very closely 
      resembles a cellular phone ha ha", "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?"
      
  ]

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Re:TSA: Some on US-bound flights must turn on phones by WildUtah on Monday July 07, 2014 @02:58AM (#7997460)

Airports that are operated competently will provide μUSB and Lightning power tables at security. Mercenary airports will provide for-pay stations.

Lots of international airports are competently run. Most US airports, unfortunately, are neither competent nor even competently mercenary so there will be trouble when the TSA imports this plan to the USA.

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Re:TSA: Some on US-bound flights must turn on phones by grrowl on Monday July 07, 2014 @12:12AM (#7997038)

TFA states passengers will have to turn on their phones if they have them. I assume the fear is that you'll have a phone-like bomb with a chemical battery-like component.

Toothpaste remains completely banned.

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Re:TSA: Some on US-bound flights must turn on phones by weeder on Sunday July 06, 2014 @11:36PM (#7996914)

    var terroristWarningFlags = // sarcasm...?

Either way, with the TSA you don't win with reason or truth.

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Re:TSA: Some on US-bound flights must turn on phones by pigDisgusting on Monday July 07, 2014 @12:05AM (#7997016)

Well, the non-cutesy response is to cull local IMEI's (with false base station attacks) and spoof random IMEI's that spam local base stations with control channel traffic, and swamp normal signal data with noise. (not quite "jamming", per se, but maybe something close to it)

Someone could likely accomplish this, and enable others to participate in the protest of security theater, by developing and distributing an open-source application that interfaces with a number of readily available software defined radio antennas (preferably those costing less than one hundred dollars).

Although, to do so might be terr'ism.

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