# Quick answer needed: Airport x-ray machines and USB drives

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-answer-needed-airport-x-ray-machines-and-usb-drives/258138>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 3, 2004, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-answer-needed-airport-x-ray-machines-and-usb-drives/258138 "2004-08-03T14:27:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2004, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-answer-needed-airport-x-ray-machines-and-usb-drives/258138/1 "2004-08-03T14:27:42Z")

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Hey folks, I’ve got a question.  
I’m flying this afternoon, and I need to take my USB drive (the little thing that fits on my keychain) with me.  
Is it likely that the x-ray machines will damage it? I’ve saved the docs I need both there and in a location that I can access online, so it’s not as if it would be a huge crisis, but it would be annoying.

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**Author:** ![Ponster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponster/32/17081_2.png) [@Ponster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponster)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2004, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-answer-needed-airport-x-ray-machines-and-usb-drives/258138/2 "2004-08-03T14:35:59Z")

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I think you should have no problem as I have done so myself and the key worked fine at the other side.

Sony, in regard to their keys,

> [@](#):
>
> Storage environment: Data is safe at the following environments: X-ray security system at airport and with magnetic fields less than 3,500 Oe.

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**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2004, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-answer-needed-airport-x-ray-machines-and-usb-drives/258138/3 "2004-08-03T14:42:37Z")

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Thanks!

(I did just stick another copy in a seperate online location while I was waiting, just because I’m paranoid!)

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**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2004, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-answer-needed-airport-x-ray-machines-and-usb-drives/258138/4 "2004-08-03T19:22:21Z")

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Doesn’t your keychain go in a little tray that just gets visually inspected and passed around the X-ray machine?

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**Author:** ![Ponster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponster/32/17081_2.png) [@Ponster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponster)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-answer-needed-airport-x-ray-machines-and-usb-drives/258138/5 "2004-08-03T20:18:27Z")

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Since 11 September all personal items that I’ve carried have been put in the tray and then scanned by the x-ray machine. before that they were just placed in the tray and passed along side the x-ray machine.