Note to square dance callers (and others traveling on business)

[cjsmith]

If you're crossing a US border, have a friend inside who has a laptop you can use. There's no telling when you'll get yours back, nor your USB key, iPod, or camera either, if they decide they just don't particularly like the look of you.

I don't know how often it's happening, but it's sobering to know that it could.

Hat tip to dduane for the link.

Comments

[ladycelia.livejournal.com]

This has actually been going on for quite a while now. Living in a police state is SO MUCH FUN!!!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I have yet to hear from anyone who's had it happen to him, but after seeing the changes since late 2001, I find it quite believable. That alone says a lot about what the US has become in the name of "security".

[wordweaverlynn.livejournal.com]

I know. Looks like Stalin won after all.

[antayla.livejournal.com]

Oh, we didn't need that pesky fourth amendment anyhow.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Some days I wonder if the only way to tell various political persuasions apart is which amendments they think we don't need.

[mithriltabby]

And here it’s almost time to renew my membership in the Electronic Frontier Foundation...

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Yeah. *shakes head sadly*

[greendalek.livejournal.com]

Mightily tempted to load up a "dummy" laptop with tons of 'bots and worms and assorted trojans. And, for good measure, a really obscene desktop wallpaper.

(I joke about it so I don't have to dwell on the fact that my country cheerfully ALLOWED this to happen with nary a peep.)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

If I had a laptop I didn't care about, and was traveling without any other electronics that day, I'd be mightily tempted too. Perhaps painting the lid of it in desert camo would be good.

[densaer.livejournal.com]

time to encrypt the macbook before my return trip.

My first thoughts were whinging

[airporter.livejournal.com]

But we do have to think about what's appropriate for traveler and national security and your DHS has responsibility for implementation of those policies.

While the potential for seizure for examination seems draconian, they've always had this power, and I believe that Canada's Border Service Agents have the same discretionary power without any suspicion. I can remember being told my car could be searched and/or seized in either direction at land crossings, with little recourse but to return home and wait.

So, it's not new, but since 2001 the potential for action on these kinds of policies have increased dramatically, at least when entering the USA. The potential for reducing business and recreational travel further than the administration has already managed lies lurking.

I'm tempted to join the EFF (a Canadian branh, maybe?) to lend what little support is possible for me.

In an isolationist era, these can only be good things for the government. It's simply too bad that isolationism, once just barely workable in our world, is no longer supportable as government policy. Still, it seems the DHS believes it is.

Until the universe is righted and we all live in peace and harmony, I guess I no longer will carry, laptop, cells, iPod, portable drives, usb sticks, and the like - and maybe I shouldn't carry my camera anymore either; after all, a 4 GB SD card can hold a lot of information.

Like I want anything on it other than pictures of scenery and my friends. Sheesh. (I'll carry the minimum I need to ensure enjoyable travels and assess the risk to my personal assets on an ongoing basis. Remember, backups are your friend!) I suppose I'm glad that this is now a more public issue - that might make for change in the long term.

I desire to rant further, but my brain now wants statistics and copies of regulations to back me up, and there's just not enough time today.

Re: My first thoughts were whinging

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

While the potential for seizure for examination seems draconian, they've always had this power, and I believe that Canada's Border Service Agents have the same discretionary power without any suspicion.

I hadn't known they could do it without any suspicion. That was news to me. And I've now been hassled by the US TSA enough that I no longer trust anybody's good intentions. Ten years ago, I'd have thought "Oh, they won't do that to me." I don't believe that any more.

I suppose I'm glad that this is now a more public issue - that might make for change in the long term.

May it be soon.

Re: My first thoughts were whinging

[roseembolism.livejournal.com]

From what I understand, they customs agents switched from stuff they consider porn, to computers. I guess the latter are more fun to play around with.

Re: My first thoughts were whinging

[airporter.livejournal.com]

Well, there's more porn on computers!

Re: My first thoughts were whinging

[airporter.livejournal.com]

May it be soon

And in the meantime there are plenty of articles to advise and assist: (http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-9892897-38.html?tag=nefd.lede#fascism)

[dieppe.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I posted about it too. :( Fourth Amendment, I hardly knew ye.

[dangerpudding.livejournal.com]

huh. So... I've traveled with a laptop while on some flavor of watch list a number of times since 2001 and not been bothered. OTOH, I seem to have gotten off the watch list after a year or so of working for the gov't and most often traveling with a "property of the US gov't" tagged laptop....


But wow, that sucks.

[billeyler.livejournal.com]

When I heard that not too long ago, it put a bit of a damper on my trip to Vancouver in November.

[bigjohnsf.livejournal.com]

I don't have time to look for links right now, but I read about this issue on Flyertalk, and elsewhere.

Apparently there are Fortune 500 and tech companies that now have policies that their employees basically transmit their data "home" by courier or internet and then wipe their laptops clean every time with install disk they are given by their IT people before returning throught US Customs.

There have also apparently been standoffs where people have refused to give the DHS the password to decrypt their hard drives. What shocks me about that is that I would expect DHS to have tools that could crack anything. My goal in life is not to pick fights with them.

I have always been annoyed by the process of entering the United States when compared with other countries, and embarassed when my friends have to do it.

But, I do get a warm fuzzy feeling when they say, "Welcome, home." Even though I know they are trained to say that, and sometimes I haven't felt that welcome when they were questioning me.