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
Aug 31, 2009
Will the same happen in Kuwait?
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.
Kadavul: I hope not since I can’t afford to keep buying new laptops every time they confiscate mine lol
شمعنى بس اللي يسافرون السعوديه؟
لو فيهم خير خل يفتشون اجهزة مواطنين سعوديه نفسهم جان لقوا فضايح :p
nothing new. this has always been the case in Saudi Arabia.
@Kadavul, I hope not, but I’m sure Kuwaitis would stand against such a thing and wont accept it.
Ooh Mark, are you saying something? ;)
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…
lol @ comment 4
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.
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.
Store what you need on an online storage, keep your everyday laptop home and travel with an empty netbook!
this applies to everyone, even Saudis.
Old news Saudi customs been doing that for years, but it’s a seasonal habit.
WTF … haven’t they heard of something called privacy ? and my laptop is never leaving home :p
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
Ouch, but I wonder what kind of shock will you get if you check the computers of the customs officials themselves.
Good, you ppl need to stop surppoting piracy and purchase LEGAL products. I hope this applies to q8
Time for people at the airport to steal/watch your personal photos!
Unless you’re going there for business or hajj, who the *$#& would wanna go to that retarded place?
seriously lol
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!
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
good for them :)
I think it’s high time for everyone to start storing their data in ‘the cloud’ rather than locally on their hard disks.
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.”
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..
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!
Loool!!!
@O:
Don’t you know that the camera adds ten pounds?
Welcome back to the stone age
I think stone age was better :D
But i don`t think they will delete your porno in the U.S. :D