TSA now allowed to take laptops from you

Posted on 03.08.2008 at 15:52 in Tech News by Martin

Not content with taking your shoes and confiscating your water, now the Department of Homeland Security is gunning for your laptops. As the Washington Post reported yesterday, Border Patrol and Customs agents can now “detain” laptops “for a reasonable period of time” to “review and analyze information.” They don’t need probable cause under the new policy. Doesn’t matter if you’re a U.S. citizen or foreign visitor. Officials can hold the laptops indefinitely. Or hard drives, flash drives, cellphones, iPods, pagers, beepers, video and audio tapes. Ditto papers, documents, books, pamphlets, even litter.

“It’s not our intent to subject legitimate travelers to undue scrutiny, but to ensure the safety of the American public,” wrote Jayson Ahern, U.S. Customs deputy commissioner, in a recent policy paper. Arguing that border searches of laptops have already uncovered intellectual property rights violations, extremist Jihadist literature, video clips of IEDs and child pornography, he pledged the government would never disclose confidential information “without lawful authority.” The policy has been on the books for awhile, but just confirmed under pressure from civil rights and business groups worried about increasing reports of laptop confiscation.

Source: LA Times

I honestly thought that this was always an option, but I realized after reading the article that before it was just the ability to look through it, not to actually detain it.

Oh joy... time to make sure I've always got server backups of music now just in case. *sigh*

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Is this only in the States? What if you're only departing from USA - same deal?

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Confiscating a laptop is absurd; there is absolutely no way they're going to intercept an act of terrorism that way.

It's been part of the policy for a while, but the more they expand and try to use it, the more likely it is to be challenged on constitutional grounds, especially if they're doing it to returning U.S. citizens. Without probable cause it's unreasonable search and seizure, period.

Fuck, just let people take their guns on the plane already. Nobody's going to attempt a hijack when there are three people behind them all packing heat.

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quote:

Originally posted by DigiNut Fuck, just let people take their guns on the plane already. Nobody's going to attempt a hijack when there are three people behind them all packing heat.

And people think the Wild West was nuts.

Would you fuck with someone if you KNOW that person is packing heat?

As for this new confiscation shenanigans, only dumb terrorists carry shit on their laptops. Smart ones know a little about security.

In the name of freedom... the govt takes away your freedom. Ironic

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quote:

Originally posted by chinamon not true. i say "ugh" but i am a tranny.

quote:

Originally posted by kotsy lol colour me retarded

fucking cocksuckers!!! this is what happens when ppl stay quiet and government's keep on pushing slowly for more and more and more start taking away more of YOUR/OUR rights. It will only get worse if people don't start making noise.

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Wow. Might as well leave the country with nothing but cash, buy all the stuff you need where you're going, and sell it again when you leave.

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The whole idea is to make fear for the general population. If my government is confiscating digital properties to prevent an act of terrorism, then I must live in a country where my life is in a great danger, therefore my government should fight back and destroy the enemy before they destroy us. Bush is simply a genius.

quote:

Originally posted by Yohan As for this new confiscation shenanigans, only dumb terrorists carry shit on their laptops. Smart ones know a little about security.

There is no such thing as a smart terrorist.

quote:

Originally posted by Dj Gracjan fucking cocksuckers!!! this is what happens when ppl stay quiet and government's keep on pushing slowly for more and more and more start taking away more of YOUR/OUR rights. It will only get worse if people don't start making noise.

Canadians don't make noise. We complain a little, but then bend over and take it right up the fucking ass.

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quote:

Originally posted by Dj Smitty20 Canadians don't make noise. We complain a little, but then bend over and take it right up the fucking ass.

http://www.ruinediphone.com/

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quote:

Originally posted by Chris Allen http://www.ruinediphone.com/

I'm not really interested in that thing to be honest.

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I find it shocking to see how some people are ok with such disgusting acts by the US government.Wake the fuck up already you Americans you dont live in a free country anymore.

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