We live in interesting times. Friend of mine is a scientist in France. He just got briefing on what to do when traveling to the US. He was told to use an empty, freshly installed laptop with nothing but his presentation on it. Uninstall all messengers and social media. If he has to surrender any of his devices even for a minute, he shall get it checked by the French secret service for back-doors and Trojans.
I guess I rather stay home than going to a conference in the US.
#science #usa
@attilakinali
it somehow gives the impression that the one who told about the check by the French secret service might be slightly delusional.
I'd be slightly interested to know how many French scientists/researchers travel to the US every week, we can imagine the kind of workload that would be for the FSS to check every laptop once they come back.
@Serpico I can assure you, he is not delusional. I know him for over 10 years and we have closely worked together for most of this time. He is a laid back person and usually understates things rather than exagerating.
As for the number of scientists traveling to the US, I don't know. But if it's a couple hundred a year that need their devices checked, that is easily doable for an organisation like the French secret service.
Attila Kinali
Every day I bask in my own stu