Saudi Arabia Travel Advice
If you’re traveling to Saudi make sure you delete all the porn from your laptop!
The British Embassy in Riyadh received reports in July 2009 that Saudi Arabian Customs officials have authority to screen all electronic devices (laptops, mobile phones, PDAs etc) entering or leaving Saudi Arabia. If requested, all passengers will be submitted to a thorough verification and inspection at international airports. Anyone found to be carrying pirated or explicit materials will have their equipment confiscated. The report adds that refusal to comply with this rule will result in detention and/or deportation. [Source]
Thanks Michael
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Aug 31, 2009
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33 Comments, add your own...
1. Kadavul | August 31st, 2009 at 10:07 pm
Will the same happen in Kuwait?
2. aaa | August 31st, 2009 at 10:09 pm
i think most countries within the next couple of years will follow the lead of Homeland Security and allow their government officials to search your laptops and hardrives.
3. Mark | August 31st, 2009 at 10:17 pm
Kadavul: I hope not since I can’t afford to keep buying new laptops every time they confiscate mine lol
4. سالم ولد بوسالم | August 31st, 2009 at 10:33 pm
شمعنى بس اللي يسافرون السعوديه؟
لو فيهم خير خل يفتشون اجهزة مواطنين سعوديه نفسهم جان لقوا فضايح :p
5. 3azeez | August 31st, 2009 at 11:24 pm
nothing new. this has always been the case in Saudi Arabia.
6. 3azeez | August 31st, 2009 at 11:25 pm
@Kadavul, I hope not, but I’m sure Kuwaitis would stand against such a thing and wont accept it.
7. F | August 31st, 2009 at 11:37 pm
Ooh Mark, are you saying something? ;)
8. jj | September 1st, 2009 at 12:01 am
isnt it a bit extreme to search laptops at the airport…. searching them wount bring out any results of a threat in the plane or etc…
9. pinkdress | September 1st, 2009 at 12:17 am
lol @ comment 4
10. Burhan | September 1st, 2009 at 12:23 am
This is an old, old procedure. I once (two years ago) had to explain to the customs officials that my old Xbox was not a computer and that I couldn’t “open it”, this was at the Nuwaiseb(?) border.
Many, many years ago while I was studying in Bahrain and commuting to Saudi they regularly checked my computer at the causeway for … whatever they were checking for.
My brother’s computer (and disks/cds) have also been checked at the airport at Dammam and Riyadh.
So, not sure why this is all of a sudden news.
11. Purple and Gold | September 1st, 2009 at 12:29 am
Simple solution is to keep the laptop with the luggage instead of carrying it on-board the plane. Im sure they wont go through luggage too.
Also i read somewhere yesturday that this procedure will also be enforced in the US.
Upon entry to the US they will make copies of your hard drive for something like 4 days and if they find nothing alarming they will delete the content or the copied hard drive.
They will also be searching for pirated movies and music.
Seriously now, traveling is being a huge hassle.
12. HeartBeat | September 1st, 2009 at 1:08 am
Store what you need on an online storage, keep your everyday laptop home and travel with an empty netbook!
13. Khaled | September 1st, 2009 at 3:42 am
this applies to everyone, even Saudis.
14. Q80Warlock | September 1st, 2009 at 3:53 am
Old news Saudi customs been doing that for years, but it’s a seasonal habit.
15. JassQ8 | September 1st, 2009 at 4:26 am
WTF … haven’t they heard of something called privacy ? and my laptop is never leaving home :p
16. Faisal | September 1st, 2009 at 6:10 am
one of my friends got fined 1000 Riyal from saudi borders because they find in his laptop a porno movie looool so be careful :P
17. BuJ | September 1st, 2009 at 7:13 am
Ouch, but I wonder what kind of shock will you get if you check the computers of the customs officials themselves.
18. KA fan | September 1st, 2009 at 7:27 am
Good, you ppl need to stop surppoting piracy and purchase LEGAL products. I hope this applies to q8
19. Kirby | September 1st, 2009 at 8:58 am
Time for people at the airport to steal/watch your personal photos!
20. boba | September 1st, 2009 at 11:04 am
Unless you’re going there for business or hajj, who the *$#& would wanna go to that retarded place?
21. Spartan | September 1st, 2009 at 11:55 am
seriously lol
22. fns | September 1st, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Get one those small notebooks and take it with you where ever you go with no person data on it. At the end, you want to check your mail!
23. Mathai | September 1st, 2009 at 12:52 pm
I’m ok with with frisking and body searching but if they want to copy my porn they’re messing with the wrong dude! :D
24. haha | September 1st, 2009 at 2:13 pm
good for them :)
25. Mike | September 1st, 2009 at 3:22 pm
I think it’s high time for everyone to start storing their data in ‘the cloud’ rather than locally on their hard disks.
26. Khaled | September 1st, 2009 at 4:04 pm
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/laptop-airport-security,news-1104.html
not just Saudi Arabia:
“In a 3-0 decision, the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that laptops are just like any other physical property and can be searched at the nation’s borders.”
27. Maya | September 1st, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Well, while I am against porn, I think searching laptops like that is just crazy and time-consuming. You’re holding up a line to check if some guy wanks to videos of yo momma? Seriously..
28. O | September 1st, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Will that apply to self nude photos? I like to keep track of my weight! :D
perv officers will abuse this and never delete the hard drive they copied!
29. lensman | September 1st, 2009 at 9:03 pm
Loool!!!
30. Burhan | September 1st, 2009 at 10:51 pm
@O:
Don’t you know that the camera adds ten pounds?
31. Ramez | September 2nd, 2009 at 12:17 am
Welcome back to the stone age
32. lensman | September 2nd, 2009 at 12:39 pm
I think stone age was better :D
33. Pass | September 8th, 2009 at 7:19 am
But i don`t think they will delete your porno in the U.S. :D
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