The End of In-Flight Wi-Fi?
Okay, now the terrorists have really affected me personally: they’re forcing us to turn off airplane Wi-Fi. No, it’s not that the Yemeni package bombs had a Wi-Fi triggering mechanism—they seem to have had a cell phone triggering mechanism, dubious at best—but we can imagine an Internet-based triggering mechanism. Put together a sloppy and unsuccessful package bomb with an imagined triggering mechanism, and you have a new and dangerous threat that—even though it was a threat ever since the first airplane got Wi-Fi capability—must be immediately dealt with right now.
Please, let’s not ever tell the TSA about timers. Or altimeters.
And, while we’re talking about the TSA, be sure to opt out of the full-body scanners and remember your sense of humor when a TSA officer slips white powder into your suitcase and then threatens you with arrest.
EDITED TO ADD (11/8): We’re banning toner cartridges over 16 ounces.
Additionally, toner and ink cartridges that are over 16 ounces will be banned from all U.S. passenger flights and planes heading to the United States, she said. That ban will also apply to some air cargo shipments.
Other new rules include:
- International mail packages sent to the U.S. must be screened individually and certified to have come from an established postal shipper;
- Cargo shippers, such as UPS, Federal Express, and DHL, have been encouraged to report cargo manifests to Homeland Security faster, prior to departure, to aid in identifying risky cargo based on current intelligence.
There’s some impressive magical thinking going on here.
Trevor • November 8, 2010 10:36 AM
Yeah, while reading the opening paragraph I was like: umm, if they could get a bomb on a plane with Wi-Fi based triggering, they could get one with a timer on it.
It seems pointless to close the Wi-Fi hole when the timer one is still out there.