Government: We Can Search All Laptops

Government: We Can Search All Laptops

www.nytimes.com

The search was not unusual: the government contends that it is perfectly free to inspect every laptop that enters the country, whether or not there is anything suspicious about the computer or its owner. Rummaging through a computer hard drive, the government says, is no different than looking through a suitcase.

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Okay everyone, here they go. I like how the government says that it is okay to search your laptop. They say it is the same as looking through your suitcase. Somehow, I fail to see the comparison.

www.nytimes.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Im just saying if you had somthing suspicous wouldnt you encode the files hide them in the drive amd set a password lock on it making it so if they hacked you all the files would overwrite and format themselves.

It's already posted.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

the old saying is,

" the only safe computer is one that's turned off, unplugged, disconnected from the network, locked in a safe thats buried 6 feet underground, and even then im not so sure."

now it seems they've given themselves the permission to openly sift through the data contained within your hard drives, wether you like it or not.

reply to post by Hello123456


If I had any suspicious information I wouldnt put it on a laptop, period. Id use a "non-suspicous" type of media to carry the data, a CD, DVD, flash Drive, whatever. And of course, Id encrypt it with whatever I could.

reply to post by InSpiteOf


Exactly, my husband uses an external drive to keep important information and he backs up his computer everyday.

If you know that the government is going to go through your laptop then play smart, make a backup of your hard drive and before your traveling day, clean up your computer and mail the backup hard drive to your home address or a P.O. box, over night.

Is ways to go around this new wave of invasion of privacy.

Just out of curiosity, what makes this a surprise to anyone? Would you come into the country with a diary that you had wrote out plans in on how to kill your boss by cutting the brake lines? A book in your luggage can be read, so I would expect no less of a hard drive.

Besides, you would have to be a nitwit to put anything incriminating on a computer anyway, in this day and age. That would be right up there with a smuggler stuffing the drugs in an orifice and hoping they don't look there or the baggy break.

The government seized the laptop. But when it tried to open the encrypted files again, it could not. A grand jury instructed Mr. Boucher to provide the password.

Well that's comforting to know. PGP still works as long as they aren't really, really unhappy with you.

It's definitely unreasonable search and seizure. Officials should be able to open books, yes, but not read them. The intent of searching people at the border is to make sure they aren't bringing physical contraband into the country such as illegal weapons or drugs. Likewise the extent of laptop searches should be to ensure the device is not a weapon, bomb, or is being used to smuggle drugs. The rest is 1st, 4th, and 5th Amendment protected.

As far as child porn is concerned, that's just the old standby to deny people their liberty and privacy. Won't someone please think of the children?! If there is first cause to reasonably suspect the laptop may contain child pornography, they can search for that and only that. But even that is so iffy they should still detain the suspect at the border while they get a warrant.

reply to post by marg6043


Exactly, frankly I dont see this as a widespread practise. It would cause an already congested travel system to become even moreso.

As apc just stated, its unreasonable search and seizure, so the question i have for you guys is, will this be used more against US citizens or other travellers who may not be protected under the 1st, 4th, and 5th Amendments?

reply to post by InSpiteOf


They won't be able to search for every labtop, similar to police can't search every car on the road unless they are given a probable cause to do so. Unless you presenting nervousness to customs that would hint something is wrong, you most likely be searched. If you got kiddy porn, you best cross your fingers and hoped your encryption is the best money can buy.

reply to post by khunmoon


I sure hope that this falls under the category of probable cause. It has too. The only thing I can see happening is that they may do random searches at the airport like they do when you board the plane. Boy, I could see many business travelers getting very ticked off!

[edit on 1/8/2008 by palehorse23]

reply to post by deltaboy


I never fall for that 'If you've got nothing to hide...." argument.

I've been stopped and searched because my name in unusual, so if that is 'suspect' enough to have my body searched, I can't trust their standards when it comes to searching my laptop.