It would be interesting to follow any devices that are trackable. After all, they should all end up at a hazardous waste site of some sort. Surely they wouldn't be finding their way to the homes of screeners?

It really is infuriating and intolerable that the Secretary of Homeland Security can direct the TSA to implement enhanced security measures at certain overseas airports with direct flights to the United States, and that the authorities in those countries don't have the guts to tell him where to stuff it.

It is infuriating and intolerable that we haven't tossed the current version of TSA into the trash where it belongs.

Most definitely, but until and unless you do, the rest of us would prefer it to remain your own problem.

It becomes a problem beyond the US because governments overseas don't collectively tell us to go pound sand on these matters. Instead foreign governments' own "security" forces are more likely doing the US's business for the US than reporting the details of all their activities to the legislative and judicial oversight authorities in their own backyard.

For example, that German BND "intelligence" character arrested recently for spying for the US (after initially claiming to be a Russian spy upon being arrested in order to appear in the US to be more loyal to the US) is part of a legion of EU and other NATO countries' intelligence agencies' employees trying to stay on our good side even at the cost of making themselves look like a laughing stock lap dog for us. Talk about being more loyal to the king than the king is to himself. :eek:

:rolleyes:
Translation: TSA finally concedes that their SOPs (visual checking X-ray scanners and swabbing) are unable to distinguish between batteries and plastic explosive shaped like batteries.

Exactly. No way will terrorists ever be capable of making something "go boom" while still functioning as a smart phone, tablet or laptop. Idiots.

The foreign governments could tell the U.S. to pound sand but their airlines need the revenue flying into the U.S. brings. While it is frustrating any country can impose additional security measures on flights going into or over its territory or deny them access.

So what is means for the rest of us is more time in line as everyone's electronic gadgets are switched on because a cowed American population needs to know that its government is protecting them. :rolleyes:

Yeah I'm sure they're drooling over the thought of all those 'dead' iPads, etc.

True, but both parties would suffer if air traffic between LHR and US gateways were interrupted. I guess it just galls me that there isn't even the pretense of a negotiation - the actual wording that the Secretary for Homeland Security "directs the TSA to implement enhanced security measures at certain overseas airports" makes it abundantly clear that they don't even try to hide that we will go along with whatever follly our American friends come up with without discussion.

I wonder whether my insurance claim for my phone would go under 'lost' or 'stolen' when I get home.

What if it's a sealed, new in box electronic device for a gift? I'd rather have that in a carry on than potentially stolen out of checked in bags. No more electronic gifts?

Discussion over on the BA thread as well - for BA they just announced it is not just a case of relieving you of items that won't start, you yourself are barred from flying. Good luck with all these smartphones with short battery lives...as for newly purchased, well, buy a charger with it and charge where you can before your flight. Good eh?

Well, this changes everything! Now Al Qaeda's bomb makers will have to reserve some of their bomb-making real estate for an extra little battery to power up the device long enough to get past the screeners. 5 minutes worth of battery? 60 seconds?

It took me all of 2 seconds to figure out how to circumvent this stupidity.

No problem, according to the BA site. The Brits will confiscate it anyway.