Now that you can bring laptops to SAF camps, here’re 10 things you should do before your next ICT

Last Updated on 2016-05-19 , 1:54 pm

So, now that we can bring our work laptops to our bunks, does that mean we could just do anything in our bunk, from watching the latest episode of Running Man to sending the latest quotation to our clients?

Well, not really. It’s a good move by SAF since many employers NSmen would be happy that they can finally do some work during admin time, but there’re a few things that you need to do before you start carrying your laptops and all your files to camp for your next ICT.

Just a disclaimer: we’re not Mindef nor from the MP, but we’re NSmen who know about these based on common sense and experience, so if you really want to confirm anything, you might want to call your unit commander to verify these.

Make sure there’re no illegal things
From softwares to videos, make sure everything in your laptop is legal. You won’t want to kana a MP raid in which you’re being charged for having a downloaded video that, well, shouldn’t be in your laptop.

Make sure there’re no adult videos
According to rumours, it’s allegedly mentioned that NSmen were charged during MP raids when MP found these videos in their phone. To be honest, most of these videos are, well, in laptops instead of phone…

Make sure you clear your browsing history and cache
Same idea as the previous point. You’ve no idea what an MP could do.

Make sure there’re no images of the camp
It doesn’t matter whether you took the picture with your phone and uploaded it in your laptop or not—once found, you’ll be charged.

Make sure you empty your Recycle Bin
Because, erm, you’re not that stupid, right?

Make sure you don’t switch on your webcam
Nowadays, laptops come with webcam. If it’s switched on, it’s technically recording what’s in the camp.

Make sure you don’t do video calls (e.g. Skype) with your laptop
Because once you do that, you’re “recording” the background, and there could be sensitive information (like, you know, what’s for dinner that day).

Make sure you bring a dongle with mobile broadband over
There’s no wi-fi in camps, and having a laptop without an Internet connection is pointless. If you’re thinking of tethering your smartphone connection, here’s one piece of advice: NEVER DO THAT. You won’t want a bill shock.

Make sure your wallpaper isn’t something that commanders would frown over
We know you need some motivation, but keep the image of that Japan “superstar” to yourself.

Make sure your boss doesn’t know that you can bring your laptop in now
Suddenly, everyone is hoping that their bosses aren’t NSmen. #truestory