Why the TSA Now Wants You to Turn On Your Cell Phone Before Boarding'Powerless devices will not be permitted onboard the aircraft,' the TSA said, in order to thwart bombs potentially concealed within handheld gadgets.
ByGeoff Weiss•
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
After U.S. intelligence officials discovered earlier this year that al Qaeda was fashioning new bomb varieties, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced today that sometravelers从海外将飞往美国up their phones prior to takeoff.
"During the security examination, officers may ask that owners power up some devices, including cell phones," the TSA said in apress release. "Powerless devices will not be permitted onboard the aircraft."
While travelers may be familiar with shuttering their phones prior to takeoff, this new measureaims to thwartbombs potentially concealed within electronic devices, reportsABC News.
Related:British Airways Testing 'Happiness Blanket' to Make First-Class More Comfortable
It is unclear which airports overseas will be impacted by the new processes.
Sources toldABCthat officials are taking precautions against Syrian terrorist groups working alongside al Qaeda's branch in Yemen. The fear is that terrorists might ultimately corroborate with "one of the thousands of Americans and other foreign fighters carrying U.S. and European passports" in order to carry out an attack, the outlet reports.
"Aviation security includes a number of measures, both seen and unseen, informed by an evolving environment," stated U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson in anannouncementpreceding the enhanced security procedures.
