A luggage lock is a lock used to prevent luggage from opening by accident, usually with little or no security in mind, although the lock may serve as a deterrent to potential thieves. Luggage locks may be built into luggage or may be external locks such as or lockable straps.
Luggage locks accepted by the TSA can be opened by the authorities using publicly known universal "master" keys. Locks using this system are produced to meet standards set by Travel Sentry. Under agreement with the TSA, it is Travel Sentry that sets the standards for these locks and approves each design. Every lock with the Travel Sentry identifying mark (red diamond) is accepted by the TSA.
Some TSA-accepted locks feature an indicator which will appear red if opened by a master key, so the owner will know that their bag has been accessed.
Images of the master keys were left unsecured on the Travel Sentry web site allowing the seven master keys to be easily reproduced.
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