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TSA gave my MacBook Pro to another passenger at LAX, and now it's gone

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Re: TSA gave my MacBook Pro to another passenger at LAX, and now it's gone

#81

Post by blowski »

yoo1I wrote: post #75
nmeofthestate wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No screening at all? That'd certainly be interesting.

For starters it wouldn't lower overall security by all that much[0] [0] http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/investigation-breaches-u...

So if JFK Airport removed TSA and just let people walk on to the plane, would you board one? I sure as hell wouldn't.

I don't know what I don't know about international security. I don't have access to the NSA and CIA files about international terrorism. Sure, some of it is overplayed for certain people's agendas, but it's very clearly an actual risk that needs actual solutions. The TSA may not be the best one, but if it was removed, it would need to be replaced by something that would probably end up looking very similar.

Re: TSA gave my MacBook Pro to another passenger at LAX, and now it's gone

#83

Post by jvdh »

LukeB_UK wrote: post #80
jvdh wrote: post #78

Alternative title: Guy forgets laptop at security checkout and blames TSA for his stupidity. > I emerged from the scanner without any problems, collected my 2 bags and incidentals, and proceeded into Terminal 5. After awhile, I looked into my backpack and realized that I didn’t have my computer. My heart skipped a beat! I turned around and rushed to the security area.

Further down the article: > After a few minutes, he found me coming through the security line, and sure enough, my computer was not with my bags when I retrieved my belongings. Moving further back in time, we watched as a TSA agent pulled my computer off of the belt as soon as it came out of the machine—there is an area where agents can remove things from the belt before passengers have access to belongings. He moved…

He completely forgot his laptop, moved away from the security check and only later figured out he was missing his laptop.

With hundreds of people moving through those checkpoints, I do not blame the TSA agents for handing stuff out to completely random people.

Re: TSA gave my MacBook Pro to another passenger at LAX, and now it's gone

#84

Post by manojlds »

elkabong wrote: post #49
howlingfantods wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair, MacBook Pros pretty much all look the same on the outside. She probabaly just thought it was hers, stuffed it in her bag, and went to catch her flight.

That is a fair point, however, in that case, there would be a computer left over on the belt, that the author would've seen when he got out of the scanner. On a side note: do people not keep their laptops in sleeves (even when in backpacks)?

Are you not required to remove laptops from sleeves while sending through the scanner?

Re: TSA gave my MacBook Pro to another passenger at LAX, and now it's gone

#85

Post by smoyer »

I have a "TSA Friendly" laptop bag (it even has a stitched on label). The laptop pocket unzips to the bottom of the compartment and folds along the bottom, so the laptop is still in its pocket, but there is nothing but fabric and foam between it and the belt. The metal parts of the bag as well as anything else metal I might be carrying are all folded to he other side and don't shield (electromagnetically) the laptop.

Re: TSA gave my MacBook Pro to another passenger at LAX, and now it's gone

#86

Post by georgestephanis »

howlingfantods wrote: post #46
elkabong wrote: post #30

I'm surprised that everyone is focusing on the TSA for giving his computer away (awful), but to me, the even more objectionable thing is that THE WOMAN TOOK A RANDOM COMPUTER and just left with it. Any reasonable person would say "that is not mine", or am I being too naive? And, since she didn't do that, there was clearly malice involved, so the police were also clearly in the wrong, saying that it was an accident an…

To be fair, MacBook Pros pretty much all look the same on the outside. She probabaly just thought it was hers, stuffed it in her bag, and went to catch her flight.

There's a reason the first thing I do with a new laptop is add about fifteen assorted stickers to it. Very helpful at conferences and such when it comes to keeping laptops distinct.

Re: TSA gave my MacBook Pro to another passenger at LAX, and now it's gone

#87

Post by distances »

kriro wrote: post #64
Xylakant wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can put any message you want on your macbooks login/lock screen. Mine contains contact information just in case I loose it. Might actually pay off to put a sticker on it as well.

Two sided sword. If the person that took the laptop is actually a thief he/she conveniently knows you're currently not at home upon boot. Since this theft requires at least some criminal energy (I guess there's an outside shot of just being a grab and run) I wouldn't put it past the thief to immediately loot your home or have an accomplice do so.

I usually put a friend's email/phone on my phone's lock screen. That way they actually can contact someone (since I just lost the means to do so). I hope a potential robber wouldn't take this as info of a good target, though.

Re: TSA gave my MacBook Pro to another passenger at LAX, and now it's gone

#88

Post by janekm »

PeterStuer wrote: post #38
yoo1I wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's exactly what happened in Brussels. "And besides, if we made airplanes completely safe, the terrorists would simply start bombing other places that are crowded. Porn shops, crack houses, titty bars, and gangbangs. You know, entertainment venues." George Carlin, 1999

Exactly what happened in Brussels. There the bombs were detonated in the check in departures hall before the security area. What happened afterwards is even more absurd. They organized a security check before entering the departures hall, leading to massive 3 hour waiting lines outside the building. Clearly protecting the building is far more important than the security of the people in the waiting line.

For what it's worth, that is what countries with competent security do (Israel, China whenever/wherever there are security concerns), multiple stages of security checks (but of course the earlier ones are designed to minimise queuing to avoid that exact issue).

Typically there will be one security check on the road before cars enter the airport (this can be just a drive-by check for anything suspicious), then either scanner or explosive chemicals check at the entrance doors.

Also, the area in front of the security check is arranged with a large "buffer space" not allowing anyone without a boarding pass to get close to the security check lines (and again with guards looking out for anything suspicious).

Re: TSA gave my MacBook Pro to another passenger at LAX, and now it's gone

#89

Post by rossng »

nikanj wrote: post #23
mindcrime wrote: post #18

Man, I am going to be paranoid as f%!# from now on, when going through security. If my laptop disappeared, it would screw me over pretty good. I mean, not in the sense that I'd lose anything that is literally irreplaceable, (well, not irreplaceable AND particularly valuable) but it would be a huge time and energy sink to recover from that. Last time I lost a laptop, was when somebody stole my laptop bag out of my tru…

Crashplan. $99 per year.

I use Crashplan, but it's a bit rubbish. Backblaze is much better if you don't need to use it on Linux.

Re: TSA gave my MacBook Pro to another passenger at LAX, and now it's gone

#90

Post by wingerlang »

plinkplonk wrote: post #40

How this works in India. When you put your laptop in a bin, the security person puts one of two identical tags (pieces of plastic with identical numbers on them) into the bin, on top of your computer and gives you the other one. When you finish your patdown/metal detector etc screening and want to take your computer back, you give the security person at the other end of the line your tag, she looks around for the bin…

They do this at Uniqlo when going into the changing rooms if you have to leave your shopping basket.

Simple and effective.

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