why not just list "exposed circuit boards" in the ban?
NYC Mayoral Inauguration bans Raspberry Pi and Flipper Zero alongside explosives
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Re: NYC Mayoral Inauguration bans Raspberry Pi and Flipper Zero alongside explosives
#92All of the comments so far have been about > le heckin' security theater targeting tinkerbros and none addressing the elephant in the room of why Mamdani needs all of this security, or frankly, any security at all? Just a few years prior, he tweeted out #DefundThePolice, and of the NYPD specifically, suggested "Defund it. Dismantle it. End the cycle of violence." And even though he's walked some of that back, he stil…
they always exempt themselves
Re: NYC Mayoral Inauguration bans Raspberry Pi and Flipper Zero alongside explosives
#93Oh good. My OrangePi is safe.
That's a "travelling in a car isn't driving" level of legal argument.
Re: NYC Mayoral Inauguration bans Raspberry Pi and Flipper Zero alongside explosives
#94The language is unfortunately imprecise (or rather too precise) but I’d imagine this is simply allowing security staff discretion to refuse suspicious circuit board looking devices. They’re not going to be checking for brand names.
Yeah, exposed circuit boards are things most people only see in three settings: (1) when one of their devices are broken, (2) bomb in a movie, or (3) it's the 00s.
I think they're more concerned with preventing a panic over any of the concerns about what someone can do with a Raspberry Pi.
Re: NYC Mayoral Inauguration bans Raspberry Pi and Flipper Zero alongside explosives
#95Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is going to make a lotote people aware of flippers.
I mean, probably not. Nobody really thinks about mayoral inaugurations.
Very few mayors have as many constituents as NYC, though. So of all mayoral inaugurations, this one has among the most potential people thinking about it, even disregarding how on-the-national-stage the election played out.
Re: NYC Mayoral Inauguration bans Raspberry Pi and Flipper Zero alongside explosives
#96what about a smart lamp?
Re: NYC Mayoral Inauguration bans Raspberry Pi and Flipper Zero alongside explosives
#97This seems very amateur hour and likely to have the opposite of the intended effect, i.e. I expect there will be tons of Flipper Zeros that people bring as "jokes".
Re: NYC Mayoral Inauguration bans Raspberry Pi and Flipper Zero alongside explosives
#98>New York City usually gets this right. It has decades of muscle memory for doing hard things in public, under pressure, without panicking. Not something I would say about Stop-And-Frisk city but whatever.
Stop and frisk reduced crime rates. It should be brought back.
Public executions too
Re: NYC Mayoral Inauguration bans Raspberry Pi and Flipper Zero alongside explosives
#99The cops made this list. The idea that a smartphone can do everything a Raspberry Pi can do, and more, is a concept so far beyond their level of understanding that the discussion is pointless.
This is not really accurate though. Both a Raspberry Pi and a Flipper Zero can easily and readily be turned into a signal jammer or spammer with off the shelf parts and nearly no technical skill. Modern smartphones are generally both more locked down and also don't come with an external antenna option.
I have a $5 ESP32 board that does the same, my phone is just the UI!
Re: NYC Mayoral Inauguration bans Raspberry Pi and Flipper Zero alongside explosives
#100I noticed that they didn't ban "walkie talkies" or "radio transceivers", and I wonder...
Some of the more niche/hobby transceivers could be used by a group of bad actors at an event, for comms that are less-monitorable than smartphones and mainstream COTS handheld transceivers.
And such hobby transceivers/transmitters might not operate on the list of RF bands that would be jammed by authorities when there's a suspected terrorist situation.
Many of these devices have exposed PCBs (either general-purpose SBCs, or specialized). So, saying "no Raspberry Pi" could be an attempt to ban all exposed PCB devices. And "no Flipper Zero" is the non-exposed-PCB problematic device that everyone has also heard of.
Kudos to the people keeping the event safe, especially given all the recently emboldened bad actors right now, who might be attracted to the event.
For hobbyists, there are numerous opportunities to advocate for your right to, e.g., carry electronics hobbyist gadgets, or to wear an artistic blinking LED jewelry piece strapped to your chest. Some of those opportunities need help, while some other opportunities could be counterproductive to your cause.