apple news/media reports
07/13/2004, 2:20pm, EDT
Tuesday, July 13th
British military bans iPod, other devices
Britain's Ministry of Defense has become the latest organization to add the iPod to its list of high-tech security risks, accoding to Reuters: "The pocket-sized digital music player, which can store thousands of songs, is one of a series of banned gadgets that the military will no longer allow into most sections of its headquarters in the UK and abroad. Devices with large storage capabilities -- most notably those with a Universal Serial Bus (USB) plug used to connect to a computer -- have been treated with greater suspicion of late by government agencies and corporations alike." Update: A BBC report says that "The Ministry of Defence has denied reports that it has banned Apple's iPod due to fears it could be used to steal sensitive files."
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These places already ban cell phones (even before the cameras came attached - now they're really banned, as in, you can't take them inside vs. just can't use them), laptops, etc. Don't think about taking CD-Rs out of there without going through a whole clearance process (most people even avoid taking anything in with them so they don't have to be searched coming out).
I wouldn't expect this kind of security in the US, though. There, they can't even keep track of nuclear secrets at their top labs (remember the los alamos debacle), how do they expect to even recognize a USB drive in a watch.
Its nice to see at least some people are treating these devices for what they can be used for.
Are there any others?
So yeah, it's not the entire Ministry of Defence that has banned them (like at their gas stations, post offices, shops, etc.), but they are not allowed in sensitive areas. So yes, there is a ban.