Does security check that your computer will power up on its own battery at airports?

[Card]

Hi,

I will be flying off from Thailand to Canada via somewhere in Asia. I usually take an old small Acer computer to store videos from my trip. It's so old that the battery has gone and I can't buy a new one but the computer will power up on mains.

I don't want to have it confiscated if security at airports need it to power up on its own battery.

Can anyone tell me if security still ask to see the comp power up on its battery - in Thailand, Asia (like Japan or Taiwan) or Canada. I believe that was the case in the past but I haven't flown for nearly 2 years.

[wprime]

This only applies if you're flying through the US. In Asia dead laptops don't become sentient and take over planes.

[angsta]

They don't check out of the UK anymore. They did a few years back but not now.

[WhizBang]

In all the years I have been traveling, I have been asked only once (in Japan) to turn it on.

ALWAYS have to take it out of the case though.

[Dannyboy666]

Never been asked, I did 700,000 miles one year, 20x to Thailand, I'm USA

[Bandua Bob]

I travelled with my laptop and iPad mini to and from Canada 3 times in the past year, one time BKK to Hong Kong to Vancouver and two times from BKK to Tokyo Narita and Calgary. I took them out of my backpack and that was it. They do not even want them opened anymore. On occasion, they do not want to see the iPad mini. On my December 2014 arrival in Calgary, Canadian Border Services took them and checked them, I am guessing, for kiddie porn. And then an apology for taking too long and making me wait.

[IMA_FARANG]

In all the years I have been traveling, I have been asked only once (in Japan) to turn it on.

ALWAYS have to take it out of the case though.

-------------------------------

As far as I know that was only done fro a limited time on Flights to the U.S. and possibly the U.K. in response to a specific threat at a certain time.

As far as I know the threat was "dealt with".

Therefore it never matieralized.

[Ricardo]

In the past month, none of the following wanted anything more, than for my laptop & notepad to be scanned separately :-

Thailand ChiangMai & Bangkok

South Korea Incheon

Canada Kelowna & Vancouver

Hong Kong H.K.

so I guess the answer is "No" !

[Dannyboy666]

I travelled with my laptop and iPad mini to and from Canada 3 times in the past year, one time BKK to Hong Kong to Vancouver and two times from BKK to Tokyo Narita and Calgary. I took them out of my backpack and that was it. They do not even want them opened anymore. On occasion, they do not want to see the iPad mini. On my December 2014 arrival in Calgary, Canadian Border Services took them and checked them, I am guessing, for kiddie porn. And then an apology for taking too long and making me wait.

. Canada is one of the toughest also Austrailia

[Card]

I travelled with my laptop and iPad mini to and from Canada 3 times in the past year, one time BKK to Hong Kong to Vancouver and two times from BKK to Tokyo Narita and Calgary. I took them out of my backpack and that was it. They do not even want them opened anymore. On occasion, they do not want to see the iPad mini. On my December 2014 arrival in Calgary, Canadian Border Services took them and checked them, I am guessing, for kiddie porn. And then an apology for taking too long and making me wait.

I will be carrying the comp in my main luggage not the carry-on baggage because it's not that valuable. Do they insist on carrying comps in the carry-on luggage?

[wooloomooloo]

I will be carrying the comp in my main luggage not the carry-on baggage because it's not that valuable. Do they insist on carrying comps in the carry-on luggage?

Stick what you want in your checked luggage.

[WhamBam]

once in the USA. The battery was dead and they made me put it in the checked luggage.

Never in the UK or Thailand.

[ukrules]

I travelled with my laptop and iPad mini to and from Canada 3 times in the past year, one time BKK to Hong Kong to Vancouver and two times from BKK to Tokyo Narita and Calgary. I took them out of my backpack and that was it. They do not even want them opened anymore. On occasion, they do not want to see the iPad mini. On my December 2014 arrival in Calgary, Canadian Border Services took them and checked them, I am guessing, for kiddie porn. And then an apology for taking too long and making me wait.

I really doubt they're looking for porn.

They're looking for useful information to help them spy on you, your company and your contacts.

It would be interesting to do a full image analysis of the hard drives before and after an encounter like this to see if they installed anything or modified any files. Of course there are other things that could have been done to your computer by meddling with the hardware.

I've read in the past about companies prohibiting their employees from taking their laptops with them when they travel on business to certain countries for this very reason.

Edited February 1, 2015 by ukrules

[RabC]

I travelled with my laptop and iPad mini to and from Canada 3 times in the past year, one time BKK to Hong Kong to Vancouver and two times from BKK to Tokyo Narita and Calgary. I took them out of my backpack and that was it. They do not even want them opened anymore. On occasion, they do not want to see the iPad mini. On my December 2014 arrival in Calgary, Canadian Border Services took them and checked them, I am guessing, for kiddie porn. And then an apology for taking too long and making me wait.

I really doubt they're looking for porn.

They're looking for useful information to help them spy on you, your company and your contacts.

It would be interesting to do a full image analysis of the hard drives before and after an encounter like this to see if they installed anything or modified any files. Of course there are other things that could have been done to your computer by meddling with the hardware.

I've read in the past about companies prohibiting their employees from taking their laptops with them when they travel on business to certain countries for this very reason.

Do you wear a Tinfoil Hat?

[ukrules]

I travelled with my laptop and iPad mini to and from Canada 3 times in the past year, one time BKK to Hong Kong to Vancouver and two times from BKK to Tokyo Narita and Calgary. I took them out of my backpack and that was it. They do not even want them opened anymore. On occasion, they do not want to see the iPad mini. On my December 2014 arrival in Calgary, Canadian Border Services took them and checked them, I am guessing, for kiddie porn. And then an apology for taking too long and making me wait.

I really doubt they're looking for porn.

They're looking for useful information to help them spy on you, your company and your contacts.

It would be interesting to do a full image analysis of the hard drives before and after an encounter like this to see if they installed anything or modified any files. Of course there are other things that could have been done to your computer by meddling with the hardware.

I've read in the past about companies prohibiting their employees from taking their laptops with them when they travel on business to certain countries for this very reason.

Do you wear a Tinfoil Hat?

Of course not, however unlike you I have a firm grip on the reality of the world in which we live.