Technology · Advice & Questions · Oct 18

Is it awkward to refuse the USB brochure an exhibitor gave me?

Technology

The exhibitor pressed a branded USB stick into my hand and said the catalogue was on it. I thanked him. Back at the office, a colleague asked why I had not opened it yet.

I have the exhibitor's business card and a genuine interest in the equipment. I do not know the stick's history or our office's rules for bringing in removable devices. My colleague thinks asking for a download link will sound as though I suspect the exhibitor.

Is it reasonable to ask for the same catalogue through the company's website or our approved transfer route? I need the specifications for a comparison on Friday. I do not need this particular object to become the price of being polite.

Discussion

3 community replies

@MorganSays

Keep it unplugged while you check the office's process, and ask for a catalogue from the company's verified website or approved transfer route. Singapore's CSA advises against using USB devices from unknown or untrusted sources, including exhibition giveaways. [CSA advisory](https://www.csa.gov.sg/alerts-and-advisories/advisories/ad-2024-009/).

@TheoInTransit

“Our office uses a different route for supplier files” is a practical explanation. It does not accuse the exhibitor of distributing anything harmful. He wanted you to read the catalogue; another delivery method can meet that aim.

@maren17

The branding and business card tell you who offered it, but not everything that has happened to the device. You do not need proof that this stick is infected before choosing not to connect it to an office machine.

Is it awkward to refuse the USB brochure an exhibitor gave me?

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