No curbs on border searches of cellphones, laptops

[Benny2guns]

In the last year and a half, civil-liberties groups and business travel leaders have complained about U.S. Border Patrol agents’ broad authority to search and seize laptops and other electronic gadgets carried by travelers. But new information details the extent to which this has happened.


Debate over the searches picked up steam in July 2008 when federal officials issued a policy directive that makes clear that agents at airports and borders can look into your electronic devices without first establishing suspicion of wrongdoing.

In a recent nine-month period, U.S. Customs and Border Protection searched and seized 1,644 devices from travelers entering and leaving the United States, according to data the American Civil Liberties Union obtained through a lawsuit. The most common target: cellphones.

Of those searched or seized devices, 582 were cellphones, 398 were laptop computers and 259 were digital cameras. The rest included MP3 players, flash drives, hard drives, DVDs and other devices.

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http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/tr...hes28.html

[billy]

i can accept a bodily search at an airport and property searches (to see if semtex is inside the laptop) but to look without permission into your private electonic files without due reason is simply ludicrous.

[srijantje]

once they confiscated your laptop how would you ever know what they looked at anyway.
all of it is just demeaning
what about your digital camera with say pictures of your wife in the hotel room?none of anybody's biz
no,guys,this has gone much too far,it's just like a pack of drooling wolves pouncing on the defenceless masses

[billy]

read what i said sj. looking at your electronic files shouldn't be allowed without permission or a court order.
and they shouldn't be able to take the laptop unless they accuse you of something. in which case you should be able to sue. if thats not the case then i think it's wrong.

id think in many of the instances stated people had already be found smuggling stuff in or out etc.

[Benny2guns]

Actually that is the problem, they are taking all electronic storage media at will and searching the data contained. The complaints are based on no wrong doing, they just search man. Under the patriot act and homeland security they can in fact do this. It was supposed to be for terrorist purposes but they are increasingly treating everyone as a suspect and ergo searching. It is wrong but under national security it's pretty tough to sue. It's a nice little set up really.

[srijantje]

i don't understand why people don't see what's happening.these measures are so called taken to curb terrorist activities ,one of the biggest fears being some organisation smuggling in a nuclear device or something,how scary.meanwhile every day tons of drugs are getting smuggled in and out of countries with governments unable to stop it.how easy would it be to smuggle in,blow up anything you want putting your mind to it?

[Benny2guns]

Actually it is so easy to be laughable SJ. There are thousands and thousands of miles of unprotected border between USA and Mexico and Canada and USA. Any person smuggling anything and I do mean anything does not need to go through any checks of any kind, least of all customs.

[srijantje]

yes,it's a scam,a society built on fear,great

[addy]

And not only is this scandalous and insulting, it's also extremely innefectual. What do they think they're accomplishing with this? I'd love to hear how many terrorists they've actually caught using this tactic. Yeesh.

:facepalm:

[srijantje]

accomplishing?making a lot of[taxpayers] money out of it and keep the so called economy ticking,diverting attention from important issues,to name a few

[billy]

Actually that is the problem, they are taking all electronic storage media at will and searching the data contained. The complaints are based on no wrong doing, they just search man. Under the patriot act and homeland security they can in fact do this. It was supposed to be for terrorist purposes but they are increasingly treating everyone as a suspect and ergo searching. It is wrong but under national security it's pretty tough to sue. It's a nice little set up really.

sorry benny. but it's the sort of blanket statement that;

They're taking ALL ELECTRONIC MEDIA AT WILL that clouds the issue.
they dont take it all at will or even most of it at will, they take sonme of it at will. they check less the 1 tenth of 1 percent of it. (which if done without due suspition is still well out of order)

it's definitely something i don't agree with no matter how small the percentage

[srijantje]

the only reason the percentage is small is they don't have the means to cover it all[yet]wait until they find a "reason"to make you come to the airport 2 days before your flight
i think Benny meant they'll search whatever takes their fancy

[billy]

the only reason the percentage is small is they don't have the means to cover it all[yet]wait until they find a "reason"to make you come to the airport 2 days before your flight
i think Benny meant they'll search whatever takes their fancy

then thats what he should have said
and i really do agree that if they could get the manpower they'd do more checks.

i think we have to compromise and accept some kind of regime for checking shit at ports and airports. but they have to draw the line somewhere. checking our personal files without proof of wrong doing or with out charging us with something steps way over the line.

[srijantje]

that's exactly what's wrong with it.you check me and my computer or whatever then you have to give me the chance to put you in court because i happen to feel insulted and humiliated and falsely accused,as it is,nobody says sorry i looked up your ass