Anyone who has traveled by air in the past 10 years will know how stressful airports can be. <\/p>\n
You didn\u2019t leave home as early as you should have. In the mad rush to get to your gate, the security screening seems to slow everything down. And to add insult to injury, you\u2019re met with the finicky request: \u201cLaptops out of bags, please\u201d. <\/p>\n
But what does your laptop have to do with security? <\/p>\n
Airport security changed dramatically after the terrorist attacks in the US on September 11, 2001. Before 9\/11, you could pass through security with a carry-on bag full of everything you might need for your vacation,\u00a0including a knife\u00a0with a four-inch blade. Indeed, that\u2019s how the 9\/11 attackers brought their\u00a0weapons on board. <\/p>\n
After 9\/11, screening processes around the world changed overnight. In the US, private security contractors being paid a minimum wage were swapped out for a federalized program with highly trained security personnel. Anything that could be\u00a0considered a weapon\u00a0was confiscated. <\/p>\n
Around the world, travelers were suddenly required to\u00a0remove their shoes, belts and outerwear, and take out their phones, laptops, liquids and anything else that could be used as part of an improvised explosive device. <\/p>\n
This lasted for several years. Eventually,\u00a0more advanced\u00a0screening methods were developed to effectively identify certain threats. Today, some countries don\u2019t require you to remove your shoes when passing through security. <\/p>\n
So why must you still take your laptop out? <\/p>\n
The machine your bags and devices pass through is an X-ray machine. <\/p>\n
The main reason you have to remove your laptop from your bag is because its\u00a0battery\u00a0and other mechanical components are too dense for X-rays to penetrate effectively \u2013 especially if the scanning system is old. The same goes for power cords and other devices such as tablets and cameras. <\/p>\n
With these items in your bag, security officials can\u2019t use the screened image to determine whether a risk is present. They\u2019ll have to flag the bag for a physical search, which slows everything down. It\u2019s easier if all devices are removed in the first place. <\/p>\n
A laptop inside a bag can also shield other items from view that may be dangerous. Scanning it separately reveals its internal components on the screen. In some cases you might be asked to turn it on to prove it\u2019s an actual working computer. <\/p>\n
With newer multi-view scanning technology, security officials can view the bag from multiple angles to discern whether something is being covered up, or made to look like something else. For instance, people have tried to\u00a0mix gun parts\u00a0with other components in an effort to pass checked baggage screening. <\/p>\n
Some airports have upgraded\u00a03D scanning\u00a0that allows travelers to pass their bags through security without having to remove their laptops. If you\u2019re not asked to take out your laptop, it\u2019s probably because one of these more expensive systems is being used. <\/p>\n
Nonetheless, amping up the technology won\u2019t remove the lag caused by airport screenings. Ultimately, the reason these are a major choke point is because of the speed at which staff scan the imagery (which dictates the\u00a0speed of the conveyor belt). <\/p>\n
Unless we find a way to automate the entire process and run it with minimal human supervision, you can expect delays. <\/p>\n