The self-feeding paranoia of US airport security checks has just reached a new level as Homeland Security has become worried about computers which do not switch on.
According to Gizmodo, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson woke up in a cold sweat worried about all those people who get onto planes with flat batteries on their electronic devices.
Johnson said devices that won’t turn on will be confiscated, and passengers may be diverted for “additional questioning”.
The fear is that a terrorist will be on a plane with smartphone or laptop with a flat battery and this will mean… well we are not quite sure. The whole point of checking electronic gear was to make sure that it could not be used as part of a terrorist attack, however if it does not work then it can’t be.
However Johnson thinks that people who don’t charge their gear before they get on a flight must be terrorists and should not be allowed to board a plane. Our next bet is that he will wake up in the morning with a fear that those who don’t wash their hands before they get on board a plane are terrorists.
Practically this means that if you are dumb enough to bring any electronics on a plane on US soil you should have it fully charged beforehand. It is much safer to stick your electronics inside your suitcase, where if it is a bomb it is not going to be probed by TSA officials.
AP mentions that American intelligence officials have been worried about terrorists finding new ways to bring explosives onto airplanes undetected and apparently they have vivid imaginations. Already we have that dumb rule about water bottles, and toiletries, you can’t wear a belt, or high heels. The process of getting on the plane is now longer than the flight.
