How do I disable the IR infrared port on my Mac?

I can't express here just how appalled I am at the sophomoric stunt that the Giz team did at the huge Consumer Electronics Show, but suffice to say, they're now permanently out of my feed reader and don't expect to see any links from this site for the foreseeable future...

Anyway, on to your question. Yes, there is a pretty straightforward way to disable the IR port on your Mac systems. You need to start with Apple --> System Preferences, then choose Security:

The checkbox you want is located near the bottom of the "General" tab, as shown above. It says "Disable remote control infrared receiver" and below it warns you that "This computer will work with any available remote."

Check this option and close the window and now, if you test it, you should find that the Mac is ignoring the IR port and therefore cannot be monkeyed with by anyone who should feel that malicious mischief at a trade show is funny.

The interesting thing is that you don't really need any fancy gear at all, and most modern Mac systems include the little white remote control, which does indeed work with any IR-enabled Mac you point it at, not just the one it's paired with. That being the case, it's notable that I have never heard of any problems at trade shows or otherwise with this capability, so perhaps this is a paranoid reaction to the tempest-in-a-teapot of Gizmodo at CES. Buuuuttttt... then again, for the additional hassle of spending 30 seconds/computer to ensure it can't happen, I think this is good insurance.

Hat tip to The Unofficial Apple Weblog for pointing this capability out in the first place.