TSA now allowed to take laptops from you
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
Comments(156)
lets just hope this nonesense will be over when our new president takes over . cause this one is the worst in history
We’re talking about border crossings, not ‘regular’ flights, also some senators are supposedly working on getting this repealed.
how stupid and paranoid can this americans get??? gez!
More civil right violations, they are finding porn and books? can anyone say fascism, next they will burning books and locking all non Christians away. This is worse than Nazi Germany
@1
Amen, brother!!
“Americans” as a whole want nothing to do with this junk, it’s just a few in power do.
it was only a matter of time before these terrorism laws were eventually used on the american people, which is who they were intended for in the first place!
Big Brother creates a threat, then offers a solution, and the sheeplike people buy it every time.
Ron Paul could have prevented this. But enjoy you new leader whether its Obama or McCain. They’ll have you in FEMA camps.
rEVOLution
It’s only if you’re entering the country…
Do not have anything illegal on you and if you have to get something digital across, upload it to a server beforehand and then just download it on the other side.
Jeez, the people who have a problem with these laws are the ones who are paranoid.
http://www.truecrypt.org/
Use this tool to encrypt your personal datas, they will never decrypt it (when used in the right way!!!)
Amendment IV of the US Constitution says:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Benjamin Franklin said:
“Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.”
Good job, NeoCon-Republicans. You got the police state you’ve been dreaming of and the biggest government in American history. Next you’ll get the violent Marxist-style revolution FDR managed to avoid in the 1930s by instituting the New Deal and making sure the lower and middle classes were financially secure from the vagaries of an unregulated Free Market system. Or did you all think he was merely being overly generous with your tax money? If so, think again. Those social programs you hate so much were the only things keeping you safe and fat in your bland little suburbs.
So, when I travel to NY from the UK later this month, I should make sure my laptop is clear of all my stuff?
So, when I travel to NY from the UK later this month, I should make sure my laptop is clear of all my stuff?
@6:
Which is why we need to exercise the not often enough used Recall election more often. Sure we’d be under the constant barrage of campaign ads, but the lying bastards would at least be more accountable for their actions if they were worried that they’d be stripped of their access to PAC money as soon as they annoyed their constituency.
Great quote gavrielle! Here’s another.
“That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness…But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
-Declaration of Independence
Just encrypt your hard drive with a long password if you are worried they will steal information about you off your laptop. If they confiscate your hard drive and don’t return or repay you for it then you can sue them.
f**k the us its the new USSR
For the NSA, no price is high enough. It is, at once, both a terrifying and a marvellous belief in freedom.
I bet this is more for his security. We all know how big of a target he is. If over 50% of your own nation doesn’t like you your doing something very wrong.
@18 What is so “marvelous” about it? This is the furthest thing from exercising a “belief in freedom” as I’ve ever seen.
Or did you mean “believe in free enterprise”?
Now i dont feel so silly for having long ago decided to never again travel to, or through the United States. Theres nothing in amerikkka that i need nor require that i can’t get elsewhere. I’m sure i’m not the only person that feels this way either.
The U.S. is turning into a f**king police state! I can’t believe the B.S. they put people through. I’m glad I don’t live there…
In the article it doesn’t say anything about TSA. It just says “according to the policies, dated July 16 and issued by two DHS agencies, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”
Not sure where you got the TSA part.
The problem here is that even if you do not have anything incriminating on your laptop it does not matter. It will not be known until your data on your laptop is analyzed. Encryption is not an option because all the encryption technics can be deciphered. Even if you come up with your own algorithm that cannot be decrypted then do count on getting your laptop back cos it can be held indefinitely. I think this is complete bullsh@t but this was my choice to live in a fascist country – oops I mean democratic country. Well now maybe the 2 terms are interchangeable.
I want to know if they are going to catch people who take their burnt DVDs of Games/Movies on an airplane.
@9
Sorry I’m not gonna waste my ****ing time doing that.
I hope someone makes a virus that when read or opened it erases everything connected to it. That’d teach these bastards a lesson.
“intellectual property rights violations, extremist Jihadist literature, video clips of IEDs and child pornography”
One of these things doesn’t seem to belong in the same category.
This is stupid and all, but there’s already a backlash and I think we’re being a “touch” melodramatic. I love the nation-haters who claims not to need anything from “amerikka” posting on a site designed to steal things created mostly in america. Hell I’m here also, I’m just saying…
So new travel arrangements goes.. Pack your packs > crypt & wipe your Hard drives > go..
What next.. Travel checks might contain foot prints? “detain”‘ed for the vacation..
if i were to have child porn & video clips of IEDs then of course the first thing i would do is put them on my laptop and travel to a country where thats illegal…
i think even the stupidest of people in possession of those mentioned articles would find a safer way.
to make my point clear, by how many percent more will we catch, lets say, pedophiles through this legislation? is it so significant that it is absolutely justified to sacrifice the privacy of 99.999% non-pedophiles traveling thru airports? i dun think so.
@nWo (#9)
“Jeez, the people who have a problem with these laws are the ones who are paranoid.”
…funny, coming from someone on a site that divulges information on how to illegally obtain copyrighted material.
If you can, try to avoid going thru NYC, pick a different hub in US. The TSA agents at JFK are complete jerks.
They enjoy making you stand/walk barefoot on a filthy floor, they throw your electronic gadgets in the bins so that they break, you’d think of them as a Hanc*ck, but they’re just jerks, not the superheros, not by a long shot.
America – The New China
I’d rather life in a dictatorship than this fake free world!!!
USA is becoming one of the most paranoid country… and it’s incredible how USA citizens accept this changes so easily! Sorry USA you are no more the land of freedom – now Europe holds that title.
Well I guess I won’t be bringing ANYTHING across the border anymore. I wonder if they search stuff sent across by fedex or ups.
Wow, I guess they really do want to kill their own economy. Now I’ll definitely never travel into america for any reason now.
Welcome to Communist America
this has all the attribute of the old communist state
all communication via encrypted channels and diplomcacy Bags
welcome to the age of the generic laptop(interchangeable) and keeping your work on the companies encrypted servers
““It’s not our intent to subject legitimate travelers to undue scrutiny, but to ensure the safety of the American public,” wrote Jayson Ahern”
GO screw your self!
giving up freedom for security is nothing but a lie because anytime you give up liberty for security you don’t get either one. you only get striped slowly of more and more rights all because you think ‘oh no, if i don’t then the boggy man (i mean terrorists) are gonna get me other wise’. wake up America!
this is just another step closer to a police state…
I’m sure most threats could be avoided if Bush and his office agrees for a prison term. Hehe we’d be conflict free until like 2020. But we all know that’ll never happen. Come’on Bush overdose on pm tablets or something.
Mr. Know It All
August 3rd, 2008 | 17:11
Great quote gavrielle! Here’s another.
“That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness…But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
-Declaration of Independence
Thats one of the best and most truthfull political texts ever written.
Thanks for a bit of insight on what America was all about, shamefuly its nothing but a new order fascist superpower on the decline.
@37
Totally agree. I see no reason whatsoever for travelling to the US these days. I pity the citizens who have to live under the neo-conservative fascism that governs that country now.
@ US citizens: Time for American Revolution 2 ??
Big Brother is watching you!
Are you serious??!! This is unreal!!! WOW! Now i understand why some people hate america! This is the ultimate bull $+%$%!
the whole ‘idea’ is so idiotic i even don’t know what to say… ;p
i’ll not be going to the USA again either – it’s a fascist and National Socialist state in all but name
“Thraprod
August 3rd, 2008 | 16:08
“Americans” as a whole want nothing to do with this junk, it’s just a few in power do.”
That’s what you call democracy? This is madness, these days people are being terrorised by the government, rather then by “terrorists”.
Salamu Alaykum – meaning “Peace be upon you” ^^
@nWo (#9)
“Jeez, the people who have a problem with these laws are the ones who are paranoid.”
people have a problem with it because if for example a terrorist wanted to get bomb making info into the US, HE would upload it to a server, or email it or whatever rather than walking through a secure checkpoint carrying it.
for that reason, the only things this will accomplish is annoying innocent people who want to take a laptop or god forbid an IPOD on an international flight, and wasting tax dollars.
hahahahahahhaaa (in)famous US freedom – LOL!!!
Its not just America, I’m British and the company I work for have some absurd security policies too, all phones, ipods etc are scanned by security , which i guess is understandable as they can be used to store data. But incredibly books are banned for “security reasons” too, when I leave this job I’m going to b*tch slap one of the people responsible for this with my copy of 1984
lol guys in saudi arab customs you get jail or huge fine if you bring any pornography with you. they check cds and hard drives if they found any they will play them in front of you… i think this is just a little start for US.
I am from the UK and holiday in the US every year. If they are going to take my Camcorder and laptop (storing films) then what is the point in going on holiday… so that is it, no more hols to USA and I hope the rest of the world do the same…
It has nothing to do with being paranoid nor hatng America.
It’s just a human violation and I must say I’m feeling quite sorry for the people of america. It’s a shame that people of America don’t have a say in such laws.
I was going to plan on visiting the USA in the future but if I caan’t bring my Iphone, Ipod, Laptop, CDS I see no reason why to do so.
It’s sick I’m going to make a bumb out of my Eminem CD.
I don’t think this will affect me but only because I’m white and nowadays I try my hardest to look like a christian republican minister whenever I travel by plane in America or the UK. They’re not going to have the time to take everyone’s laptop so they’re probably going to physically profile people just like fascists. I find that you get treated very well at airports/planes when you dress like you’re going to a republican convention. But you do have to be white to really pull this off because all those security people are pretty much trained to be racist. This will suck big time for everyone who usually gets scrutinized at US airports, I bet the airport security will lose or break a lot of the confiscated laptops.
Most countries in this world are rapidly becoming muslim, such as France where someone was just prosecuted for speaking out against muslims. You non-spelling mother f**kers can stay in your own country we don’t want you here anyways. The US spends 223 billion dollars a year on care feeding and education of illegal immigrants every year. By the way how many people die each year rafting and digging and trying to enter you pathetic countries???
@55
Extremist muslims are no better than the worst American politicians, if they take control of the world (which I don’t think will happen) things would be much worse. Even with all this BS going on in the US, If I had to choose a country to move to I’d still rather go to America than to some muslim country where they have even less freedom and daily car bombings. France sucks too, Holland is the best country in Europe.
God I hate America. Used to love it before that monkey Bush took over. What an idiot. Free Speech is something you dream about now. Can’t wait till he’s gone and someone with a brain takes over. Not that that’s likely to happen with the candidates on offer.
I know the U.S. Federal Government has been basically taking apart one of the world’s most famous and influential documents since the passing of the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_act]Patriot Act[/url] (October 26, 2001), but are we really just going to keep letting them throw out the Bill of Rights ([url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Us_constitution#The_Bill_of_Rights_.281.E2.80.9310.29]The First Ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution[/url])?!
Personally, as a person who holds an undergraduate degree (4-year college degree) in History (minor in Computer Science) and is starting Graduate school in a month for my Masters of History (2-yr graduate degree), I’m appalled at how much power the Patriot Act has stripped away from the Bill of Rights. Most appallingly, the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution]Fourth Amendment[/url] which prevents against unlawful searches, seizures, or arrests without “probable cause” or a warrant. Since the Patriot Act was passed in the U.S., the Federal Government can arrest, and or detain, search, and seize your person or property without a warrant under the guise of suspected terrorism!
I know the whole world is afraid of terrorism. I know the whole world wants to fight back and prevent it. I know we can fight back. But at what cost? Aren’t we just becoming like them every day? We detain American citizens of middle-eastern descent because of where their parents where born (Hello? Japanese Internment Camps!?). We “randomly” search people at airports in the guise of security … which I don’t really have a problem with, and I don’t really have a problem with turning on my laptop/iPod so they can see it’s not just a hollow plastic shell filled with Semtex.
But where does it end? Terrorism has been going on since the dawn of man. For every historical record you can find and say, “That was the first act of terrorism,” you can find an earlier reference. Most historians agree that the form of terrorism we have today, though, probably can be most accurately traced to the late 11th or early 12th century with an offshoot of the Ism? ‘?l? sect of Shia Muslims. They took young men and would drug them with hashish and their leader would preach to them while in a large fortified garden filled with pleasure-slaves and when they were determined to have reached their zenith of addiction, they would be taken from “Paradise” and thrown into a dungeon without the drug. They were then told that to rejoin their teacher in “Paradise”, they must become a fighting member of their brotherhood.
Though in fact, these men did not commit acts of mass terror as we view terrorism now. They were hired killers, assigned to kill a single victim, but nearly always in public in a gristly manner, to inspire terror and fear in the onlookers. They abhorred suicide, preferring to be killed by their master or in attempt of the killing itself, and their name still survives today — Assassins. Many of you probably know much of this because of the sect’s appearance in “Assassin’s Creed”, as their original name was Hashshashin.
But, throughout history, even with the Hashshashin, NEVER has a terrorist movement or act actually produced tangible results … with one possible exception:
September 11th, 2001 (note that it was only 5-6 weeks later that the Patriot Act was passed — Did the terrorists win right there?) terrorism actually succeeded by some measure. The United States is not the same place as it was nearly seven years ago. For nearly seven years, Americans have (relatively) stood silently while their rights were stripped away from them slowly.
Many Americans today are looking at our next Presidential election with a lot of worry. If McCain wins, we will be due for another five years of the oppressive Patriot Act. But if Obama wins, will he really strip away some of these changes, or simply delay further right-stripping? As a student of history and a proud believer in the importance and greatness of the U.S. Constitution as it has evolved for nearly two and a half centuries, I have always felt proud of the document, that I have had the opportunity to take part in the democratic process of this country by voting, but with each passing day, this living document that I love is being torn apart by cowardice and fear. I am saddened. Truly saddened that my beloved country, founded on the principles of economic, political, and religious liberty is slowly devolving into a dictatorial bureaucracy.
You can’t only point the finger at our President though, every American is to blame. We have let them do this to us. We have let them know we are afraid. We elected our President, our Senators, our Congressmen, and our state and local government officials. We let them destroy what was once a free society, slowly destroying it. With every day, we have enabled our REPRESENTATIVES in our American democratic republic to burn the ideas of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin, and the rest of our great-thinking founding fathers. But even still, what does this mean for the rest of the world. For over half a century, the saying was, “Where America goes, so does the world.”
Our culture, our economics, our liberty, all have a pervasive and persuasive effect on the world. Socialism/Communism have been/are being defeated by our economics and culture. Our liberty has inspired revolutions in other nations (most notably the French revolution), and increased freedoms in many other countries. Our culture trickles down into every other culture in the world. Yet even so, we have a natural assimilation effect on all other cultures, economies, and forms of liberty.
We were not the first to abolish slavery, talk to our old friends in the UK. We were not the first to write that free trade prevents wars and increases peaceful relations (though Adam Smith was the first to write it in English
). And our culture derives less from our liberty and economic status than from the fact that we take what we like from other cultures. More and more, we prefer fuel efficient cars of a smaller design which are more practical than status-symbol automobiles as our culture had before … thank you to the Japanese influence. We have every kind of food imaginable available to us in our stores and restaurants, not because we are spoiled (we are spoiled though), but because we have always been a place for people to come in search of a “better life”.
I do not want to see a civil war in my lifetime. I don’t truly think it will come to that, but if this destruction of the liberty which has changed the face of EVERY nation on the planet does not stop, America will crumble … and “where America goes, so goes the world” …
Sorry about the url business … I was trying to make links, but I don’t know how to on these comments other than just pasting the link.
Hopefully it doesn’t distract you too much from what I wrote.
If it ain’t the Muslims, it’s the Christians. Both as bad as each other. As for America, I don’t know how they can keep allowing this to happen to themselves. This is bordering on a human rights violation. America is most definitely no longer the land of the free. Home of the fascist, more like it.
This is so absurd and disgusting. I guess George Orwell was right all along.
DONT WORRY HOMIES! TSAs WIll JUST COPY SOME OF YOUR PORN COLLECTION AND UPL0AD IT IN RS TO HELP SHARING! SEE? HOW KIND..
Extremist Islam will never take over anywhere, they can’t even take control of majority muslim countries. It just feels like another tactic to scare us into giving up our freedoms, f*** Bin Laden and his band of repressed homos
@62 lamo
No where in that article does it say that TSA will take your laptops it does say Customs and Border Patrol. TSA will not take your laptops.
@ 64 you mean lmao?
“why do we now have the Ten Commandments stripped from the courthouse, prayer stripped from public schools, legal abortions, rampant pornography, etc?”
Ah, not having total power is the same as being powerless, and blameless. Gotcha. Also, no amount of jesus can keep porn off the internet. Get a clue.
Ten Commandments… BS!
Now This is bull tihs People. Its Up To You To Call TSA And Tell Them To Stop The Bull tihs, Write A Letter, And If It Comes Down To It, Dont Fly There Planes . Plan And Simple. Stop being taken For A Loli-pop. When Will You Step Up And Say Something . BoyCott Just boycott. Dont Be Weak Minds,This IS how They Get over On All Of The People.Why Are We The people Paying The Price For Something That Isnt Even Our Fault.
Once You Been Subject To Search At Airport Security, You Are Considered A Terrorist. How Do you Like That. Your A Terrorist In Their Eyes, This IS Why We Get Treated The Way We Do, And We Dont Do Nor Say Anything About It. Enough Is Enough Already.Why Do They Need To Go Into Your Perosnnal Life And Information,Why ? It makes No Sense .
They use The Excuse Of Anyone Can Be A Terrorist,Well Thats Just Bull tihs, Cuz What They Are REally Saying Is ,You Are The Terrorist,Since We Are The People And Not IN Their Circle Of Power ,Than We Are Nothing To Them.I promise you That people Nothing At All But, Terrorist.
Do Something People,Stop Getting Beat over The Head By This Dirty Paranoid And Fear mongering government .P.S. Their Is no Bin Laden, He Died Almost 20 Years Ago , You Have Been Hagged
What’s the point of encrypting the data if they’re going to confiscate your laptop anyway? Who’d want to risk losing their laptop to a couple of over-zealous minimum wage quota-hire border guards? Just leave it home.
While this is crap for regular people it’s disastrous for companies. The CIA and other agencies have been known to have been used for corporate espionage that benefits american companies. Just think about what this can do.
It’s a pity. I love the USA and Americans in general (btw: I’m from Norway).
LOL AMERICA! I’m sure glad i don’t live in a country where human rights are nonexistent.
They have to justify their enormous and increasing budget. Not they will hire hunderts of hakers and decrypters to “be sure” no attack is being planned against the US with the help of the information you hold in your laptop.
This is going too far. I will try not to fly through the US.
“It’s a pity. I love the USA and Americans in general (btw: I’m from Norway).”
Jeg hater deg. You haven’t seen enough of the country or people, in the case.
Good thing I’m never visiting USA anyway.
I f*cking hate the government in the US. Unless the situation changes before I finish grad school, I’m moving to Canada. I’m a US and Canadian citizen. I simply cannot support that kind of terrorizing government.
@ DaRealBrew,
totally with you.
I mean what I wrote seriously. I will leave this country. And I hope that anyone who has the means to do so, will as well. Its greedy capitalism of megacorp.s and the ignorance of the majority of the American people that has brought us here. The former far more so than the latter.
@76
I’ve been over there several times and can therefore make up my own mind. Probably not like you just following the ”we all hate the USA trend”.
Oh.. and btw: I don’t hate you.. I don’t even know you.
How far you will backing-off? Those big guys are putting you in a deeper and deeper sh**t, and when finally you want to do something against it , it is going to be too LATE.
Americans! Please take back your rights and freedoms.
Good luck to all of us to the oncoming decades. They will be hard,very hard.
Things like this makes me not want to go to the USA anymore. Someone should remove this governement and remove all stupid laws.
As always, The holly America and its holly laws.
they can take all my litter after my flights to the us though. i wont mind that.
Foresight
August 3rd, 2008 | 17:23
I bet this is more for his security. We all know how big of a target he is. If over 50% of your own nation doesn’t like you your doing something very wrong.
Hmmm Foresight, you forgot to mention that Congress approval ratings are at an amazing 9%. Lower then even the US Presidents. Now since the majority of the people in the Congress are Democrats, care to guess what that says about that party when over 91% of the public does not like or agree with you?
gavrielle
August 3rd, 2008 | 16:14
Dude pull your head out of Daily Kos’s a#@ and read my message above to Foresight, this applies more to you then him
Mike-W
August 3rd, 2008 | 18:03
USA is becoming one of the most paranoid country… and it’s incredible how USA citizens accept this changes so easily! Sorry USA you are no more the land of freedom – now Europe holds that title.
EHHHH how stupid can you get? In Europe you can be jailed for saying something that a “protected minority” does not like. You can be bankrupted by the European Civil Rights Commission if you run a business and one employee causes a fuss by spewing hatred and you fire them. In Europe if you are a minority you can scream loudly and get whatever you want, just like in some of the US Universities we now have to have a gym that is open to everyone, closed for a set amount of hours so Muslum women can go to the gym all because their religion forbids it any other way. We now have to install foot washing areas all because some twit complained and sued. In France they actually BAN over 80% of the internet because it is not posted in French, and these twits actually BANNED some words because they did not come from the French Language.
Europe the land of the free? Dont make me laugh Jr. your European Union has more restrictive laws then most any other place this side of China!
So all you silly f&%ks that are whining about America, how bout you fix the problems in your OWN back yard before complaining about someone else’s yard. What I see here is a bunch of snot nosed morons that live in a house that has busted plumbing-holes in the roof-and three foot high grass and then have the audacity to complain about the neighbor that is building a three car garage on his own property to make sure he has a place for family and friends to park when they visit.
Pretty damn nice of you to use the invention that Americans made back in the 50’s to now insult us. And dont try that BS about another person discovering the Internet as I can blow your arse out of the water if you do try it. And use facts to do it!
wow at a loss for words…
WTF!
scary
I was considering traveling to America, but after reading this.. i don’t think i will.
Americans believe that god created earth and the universe in about six days. Their president believes he is sent from the same god.
Do I have to say more?
Maybe they can find some illegal Anthrax inside your iPod… lol =D
Inventors, engineers….and the rest of the “intelligent” people, please take your projects that are on the laptop and sell it to Japan. Because US will steal it from you.
That sucks. Good thing I’m not going to that crazy country any time soon.
the jew lobby did it again.
#85
I agree with you. But Europe isn’t a f*cked up country, it’s a collection of f*cked up and not-so-f*cked-up countries. And you seem to be a nationalist like most US citizens seem to be.
Did you have any hand in the US inventions you are talking about? No? Then don’t brag about it. That’s like if todays greeks claimed they are superior because “they” invented democracy.
The US people are to blame for this. They don’t give a crap about democracy, and trust in their government like nazis.
as someone already said:
the whole ‘idea’ is so idiotic i even don’t know what to say… ;p
do they really think people will put this type of information on the HD when traveling to US!!!!! They should get their head examined and go a IT course about something called INTERNET and new technologies.
God damn these people are stupid (talking about the politicians who approve these laws). I bet Bush dont know what a server even is.
ahh i give up
So drongos prevail at rlslog but we knew that. Incidentally it’s amerika not amerikka and I will take what I want from that country, but I won’t pay for it.
Those who think encryption is the answer think again lest you spend a few nights in the pokey for ‘contempt’ if you fail to give them the pass phrase.
If you read Wikileaks or go to http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0807/S00338.htm you will know that amerika is only the beginning of the seizure of hard drives lappies, flash drives and discs.
This has nothing to do with IEDs, kiddie porn, or global terra and everything to do with forcing you to use your tax dollars to help corporations make more money.
I think its more of a problem with organization #85
We all know the government has more resources than an individual citizen. People need to collaborate with lawyers and other rights activists to put a stop to the Gov having the ability to toss away rights that get in their way.
Maybe someone should take on a persona like L in Death Note. And Lelouch in Code Geass and feed information that would help change these laws.
Really whats more important catching a pedophile or financial and personal security and privacy?
Ha Ha Ha!! How do you Americans let your government get away with this kind of bullsh*t?!
Addressing one of the comments above saying America is no longer the land of the free. How could they even call them selves that in the first place, it’s not like they invented democracy or anything. You revolted against us and started using the same concept that we had been using for 60 years before hand. Yes, I am a bit of a nationalist, but only because Britain is so awesome.
How does something absurd as this even get approved?
welcome to a Police State.
This makes the Nazis look like peace loving hippies. The amount of rights that have been forcibly taken from us is worse than any fascist dictator ever has done.
This makes the Nazis look like peace loving hippies, The amount of rights that have been forcibly taken from us is worse than any fascist dictator ever has done.
@94
A server is a waitress right? lol
seriously though as an American I’m tired of reading that we, the people are to blame, I’m also sick of reading the posts by the inbred deep south trash that refer to themselves as “True Americans”. The bickering of faults is stupid, yes I agree Americans stood by and watched our rights vanish, I also agree that these laws are completely unlawful, the land of the free, is now the land of the fear. Unfortunately i see things getting worse before they get better, the President doesn’t control the government anymore than the people, Bush is a puppet of corporations. Cheney is running the “war on terror” which in the last 7 years has been more like a “war on American Liberty”. American People know its terrible, we know the government sucks, we know its destroying what was once a great country, but unfortunately there is very little we can do to save it. All out Revolution, a civil war seems to be the only way to change anything, but due to the fear of EVERYTHING the gov. has put into us thru tv shows and movies and music (all available here) The American Public feels as though nothing can be done-that is except for the very small percentage of “Americans” who think RFID chips in our arms is a great step forward in freedom, and that security is better than freedom. Some food for thought: People in Maximum Security Prisons are not free.
As an American who has been lucky enough to travel the world, I’m disgusted by how far my country has slipped from what it was built on, whereas other countries still maintain their original beliefs we only believe in money and fear. We as Americans can do more, so we need to stop sitting on our hands thinking the problems will go away with a new president they wont stop until we finally get fed up and force the change.
I keep getting a duplicate comment warning, but the post has yet to appear after 45 minutes, so here it is and sorry if it is a duplicate.
get something to quick wipe the hdd , and keep a laptop disk image at home.
mike gravel
is the best choice
Don’t blame Mr. Bush, He has no control over who is pulling his strings, And btw… It’s only begun, It is and will get much much worse. All of you out there with no clue as to what Im talking about, Open your eyes and start looking around, DONT take anything for granite, That’s what is expected, normal people dont question things, and that’s why its got as far out of control as it has. There is no excuse for it, We’re doomed and its your fault.
Even though child porn is hideous this does not along give the DHS another reason to police the world. Under the Bush administration this country has become exactly what it set out against so many years ago, which was why this country was founded, to get away from these same people. So in a sense we have become our parents. We are doing exactly what we set out not to do and to get away from. It is not the job of DHS to mine and look for child porn, or copyright patent violations etc. Their job is to protect us from terrorism and confiscating litter does not do that. It is simply another way for them to be Big Brother to the entire world. It makes me sad to be a citizen of a country that thinks they can continually do what they want all in the name of National Security, I am sick of that lame line.
Looking for child porn and patent infringements are not national security. Also with the extremist literature, does not the First Amendment guarantee free speech? I am tired of being watched all the time, “Stand down, get in line, and do the good of our administration.”
you got to be freaking kidding me.How about your rights.”TSA” can hold your laptops for indefinite amount of time.What if you use this laptop to make a living or for school .I know a lot of people can’t live without their laptops iphone ipod and so on.They worry about pedophiles coming in this country what they should worry about are those that live in the USA first.We all know majority of the pedophiles live in USA.Why not just banned all the electronic equipment in the plane.A couple months ago they where testing wifi in planes and they gonna turn around and do something like this s@#$t.I’m a little confuse here who the f#$%ch make this rules I need to know.So I know who to vote in the next election.Some body need to pass this law in to congress because this definitely a violation of human rights
here’s a tip, f*ck the airlines….use alternate transport, sure it may take longer but they may get the message.
Bye bye due process and the courts. Bye bye “innocent until proven guilty”.
Fight your government you wonderful Americans. Fight!
@ 109 & 110 Exactly! If you don’t like the law and all you do is post your displeasure on online forums nothing gets done. Contact the government, write letters, protest, inspire others to do something but DO SOMETHING. Sitting back and holding your breath, waiting for the next presidential election gets you nowhere. Assemble, protest, fight either non-violently or violently (if it comes to it). Show a few law makers that the American people won’t bend over and take it. It won’t be easy and I’m seemingly pedaling easy answers but you can change the laws if you want it bad enough. If you don’t want to do it, are complacent and if you can’t get others to fight then it’ll get worse and worse.
You’re no longer “free”, act like it! What’s next? Curfews?
I want to know what happens when you encrypt your computer and Homeland can’t get in or hack in and you refuse to supply the password, then what? Detention? Arrest? Beating? Torture? Definitely will refuse you entry into or out of their country. Then GitMo?
Fascism meet homeland security. You two are gonna get along great…
I can’t find this article in the LA times or anywhere that a law was passed. i just found a link about one case in Dallas.
I forwarded this link to friends and they say show the real new link that they passed a law.
@ 113 how about the Washington Post link from Martin’s article?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/01/AR2008080103030.html?hpid=moreheadlines
Martin, I will offer you my services to smack certain users, if you wish. I offer you my services for free, of course.
Nov 11, 2006 http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-laptop11nov11,0,2622659.story?coll=la-opinion-center
June 26, 2008 http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-laptops26-2008jun26,0,4415017.story
http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/travel/admissability/search_authority.ctt/search_authority.pdf
For the entire .pdf click on above link.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Policy Regarding Border Search of Information
July 16,2008
This policy provides guidance to U.S Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers, Border
Patrol Agents, Air and Marine Agents, Internal Affairs Agents, and any other official of CBP
authorized to conduct border searches (for purposes of this policy, all such officers and agents
are hereinafter referred to as “officers”) regarding the border search of information contained in
documents and electronic devices. More specifically, this policy sets forth the legal and policy
guidelines within which officers may search, review, retain, and share certain information
possessed by individuals who are encountered by CBP at the border, functional equivalent of the
border, or extended border. This policy governs border search authority only; nothing in this
policy limits the authority of CBP to act pursuant to other authorities such as a warrant or a
search incident to arrest…
Aug 1, 2008
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2008/08/make-no-mistake.html
Sad thing is everything US does rubs off…
I agree completely with 109, alternative.
Stop flying.. Also better for the enviroment and all that..
LMAO TSA is not involve with this. Its Customs and Border Patrol only. Read the article.
Not sure why it says TSA in the headlines…
Transcendent
August 3rd, 2008 | 23:32
#85
I agree with you. But Europe isn’t a f*cked up country, it’s a collection of f*cked up and not-so-f*cked-up countries. And you seem to be a nationalist like most US citizens seem to be.
Did you have any hand in the US inventions you are talking about? No? Then don’t brag about it. That’s like if todays greeks claimed they are superior because “they” invented democracy.
The US people are to blame for this. They don’t give a crap about democracy, and trust in their government like nazis.
No it has nothing to do with this. I am just getting very sick and damn tired of all the little tit monkeys blasting America every time some BS comes up. We even had a mental midget try and blast America for that asian lopping off the head of the other guy on a Canadian Bus! I mean it happened in Canada for ch%$Sts sake and neither one of them had ever been to the US, yet this tit monkey went off on a tangent. When countries have a natural disaster they whine and complain if we dont show up and help, then the bastards turn right around and curse us under their breath for not getting them Evian water instead of Mountain Springs. I mean for ch*%sts sake who was the first in line to help Berlin in WW2? Who was the first in line with millions of dollars in goods and people when the damned tidal wave hit in Southeast Asia? We have almost 800 MILLION dollars of grain and medical goods sitting on a freaking dock in Indonesia because the monkeys that run that country REFUSE to allow outside help. We have offered technology and food stores to N Korea and have been refused. We went to darfur and all we got was our helpers shot and killed and drug through the streets like garbage when they were trying to help the savages that killed them!
So SCREW these little pus sies that attack us every chance they get. One of these days they or their countries are going to ask for our help in something and we would be well within our rights to tell them to go hell!
You dont like our laws then stay home, nobody is forcing you to come here And I can guarentee you that a lot of us are starting to wonder why we even bother. There is swiftly coming a breaking point where we are just going to say “Ok, screw it. get along without us.” and remove ourselves from NATO and kick the UN out of NY and tell the rest of the world to go to hell. The grain we have developed that will grow in sand just as well as dirt, we will keep for ourselves. The 50GB dvd’s and the micro electronics that can be taken with water and see if your internal plumbing is messed up..well we will keep that for ourselves as well. The new cancer fighting drugs and eliminate cancer cells ONLY..yep, develope a drug that does that on your own cause you are not getting ours. They want to eat? Buy their foodstuffs from someone else as we wont sell them any more even though foodstuffs grown here in the US feed well over half the freaking planet. Steal our Tech, they get ONE chance to give it back or we come get it.
So when they are starving and freezing and naked with no medication and no way to get any, lets see how fast they kiss our arse to get it and then we can do to them what these tit monkeys are doing now. Curse at them and tell them to go screw themselves!
@120 LMFAO the TSA – Transportation Security Administration is part of Homeland Security. These are all sister agencies.
TSA: http://www.tsa.gov/
At the very bottom of the page:
Transportation Security Administration | U.S. Department of Homeland Security
US Customs and Border Protection: http://www.cbp.gov/
Guess which badge appears on the CBP page? You guessed right! Homeland Security.
LMAO @ 122. TSA is not doing this. Only Customs and Border Patrol. Read the article.
“according to the policies, dated July 16 and issued by two DHS agencies, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”
Where does it say TSA?
It looks like terrorist is winning the battle, they made the lives of Americans very difficult now.
What can I say?
“DHS Allowed To Take Laptops Indefinitely”
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/08/01/0958242
fear of ass
lol americans and their funny fearlover goverment.
the economy crackin and they still busy with tourists laptops
“but to ensure the safety of the American public”
and
“searches of laptops have already uncovered intellectual property rights violations”
I fail to see how IP violations are a threat to the safety of the American public.
and this is why [we/]i hate America
Use true crypt and partition and encrypt your drives with hidden partitions with your stuff that you don’t want to delete.
@ King Jing
According to old movie industry commersials pirates support terrorists, and they pretty mutch ARE the government so yea were all terrorist now..
All we can wait for now is for the land of the free to start torturing us in Cuba..
the solution is to print out your jihadist material and child pornography, get it bookbinded and disguise it as a bible or something similar. are they going to go through all your hardcopy documents as well?
oh my god i can’t read. let me crawl back under my rock.
@ 123 LOL The title says “TSA now allowed to take laptops from you” because in reality that’s what’s happening. I’ll ask a rhetorical question, “No TSO has ever touched an airline passenger’s laptop in the course of their duties?”
TSA rep Christopher states on TSA Evolution Blog Team (http link below):
“TSA does not and will not confiscate laptops or other electronic devices at our checkpoints”
and also cautions
“We will not ask for any password, access to any files or take the laptop from you for longer than it takes to determine if it contains a threat.”
But removing my laptop from me “…not.. for longer than it takes to determine if it contains a threat” is a confiscation of my laptop.
What crazy type of logic bomb is that? They don’t confiscate laptops but they’ll confiscate laptops for no longer than it takes to determine if it contains a threat!?!
LOL!!! My laptop can be confiscated by the TSA so says Christopher and therefor the article title is correct – “TSA now allowed to take laptops.”
LOL!!!
http://www.tsa.gov/blog/2008/02/rumor-alert-laptops.html
When I last had the misfortune to travel via the US I was disgusted by how passengers were treated. Just in transit – we had to get off the plane queue for ages to be finger-printed and have mugshots taken… I vowed never to return. So this news just reinforces that decision. Makes me so angry and I don’t even live there – thank God/Allah for that.
Ever seen TSA employees? They look like thugs on the street that somehow managed to get a job at an airport. If they didn’t have a job with the TSA they’d probably be in jail.
They are probably outright steeling the laptops now.
On top of that whats in your laptop is your own business short of it containing an explosive or something. Total invasion of privacy, what does the software or content of your computer have to do with flying and security?
It’s really is turning into nazi Germany now.
1984
Usa … the land of freedom …
LMAO @ 133. Just give up you know your wrong. Even in the TSA blog you posted it clearly says that they won’t confiscate laptops.
geez u guys are like way behind with the times this sort of thing has been brewing for ages your lousy government isnt nothing more than a bunch neocons hell bent on destroying your economy and your dollar, amero is on its way, the north american union is coming, mexico and canada and the usa will join so they can call up tons of mexicans for the new usa army, im so glad i dont live there anymore cause u dont listen to your own laws, the bill of independance is worthless snot rag, until u fight back u are as bad as them, alex jones has been telling u all this for years and u just laugh at him, jesse ventura even knows and tries to fight it for you, but where are the people anymore?? your scared cowards thinking they wont bother with u, your all right easy life, so long to freedom suckers, as the bumper sticker says “civil liberties – I wasnt using them anyways”.
And these will likely be many of the first people to cry foul if we’re attacked by terrorists again. Unreal.
Haha, wow. I come from an overseas flight with my laptop with bootleg material on it and some nice DVDs in my suitcase, and a few days after I come home I hear this! Wow.
@9 nwo”Do not have anything illegal on you and if you have to get something digital across, upload it to a server beforehand and then just download it on the other side.
Jeez, the people who have a problem with these laws are the ones who are paranoid.”
How do you download “on the other side” if your notebook is confiscated, for no valid reason other than you are number 1324 and are 6 foot tall, regardless of what you have stored on it?
The overly paranoid check is to be expected from America, but to confiscate a notebook, without the need for a substantial reason is just ridiculuous.
People read the main text (which isn’t BAD) but don’t see the gaping loopholes it opens up, just as with the Partiot Act. The aim is alright but the loose language used, allows them to do just about anything they want.
Mr.X #94
“I bet Bush dont know what a server even is.”
Of course he does, they are the people that work for f-all at MacDonalds and those who bring him his daily comics from around the globe so he can learn foreign policy.
1.the u.s. is not “becoming” a police state, IT IS ONE!if you disagree i beg you to do some research and don’t believe everything they tell you, find things out for yourself! 2.you americans are the biggest fking pussies, if you were the people of your country in the 18th century you’d still be paying tax to the uk and the blacks would’ve never gotten even the illusion of freedome.WHAT DO YOU NEED TO GET UP FROM YOUR ASSES???you’re gonna wait around till you have no rights left at all and reading (1984) will be forbidden…
1.the u.s. is not “becoming” a police state, IT IS ONE!if you disagree i beg you to do some research and don’t believe everything they tell you, find things out for yourself! 2.you americans are the biggest fking pussies, if you were the people of your country in the 18th century you’d still be paying tax to the uk and the blacks would’ve never gotten even the illusion of freedome.WHAT DO YOU NEED TO GET UP FROM YOUR ASSES???you’re gonna wait around till you have no rights left at all and reading (1984) will be forbidden…/not like you’d want to read/
The sky is falling the sky is falling…Nazis Nazis everywhere.
Maybe it is falling but I just got off a plane yesterday and no one even glanced at any of my electronics with all of my “stuff” on them.
Not saying this shouldn’t be a big picture concern, but it’s about 25,000 on my list of concerns. A cop could pull me over on the way to the store and hold me for questioning over something I never did. It’s that way everywhere. If you think it’s not, fine, good luck.
I’m going to the store.
Haha u dumb fuken americans u letz this happen to “the greatest democracy on earth”!!!! U fukrs let pandoras box open and now their is no going back – quite simply YOUR FREEDOMS ARE FUKED!!! I predict in 10 to 15 years time freedom of thought will be monitored and punished serverly!!!
Fuk this I am building a rocket ship outa crap around the yard and getting the fuk outta here!!! WHOSE WITH ME?????????
OMG Another story of the US going overboard under the guise of Homeland security. Pull your bloody heads from your asses and rally against the police state/communist country your now living in and stop this crap! You have the power
I can’t believe how easily the US citizens drop their pants and bend over with their asses lubed up for another ass pounding all under the name Terrorism! Protect your country by allowing the Government to convert your society to communism! Watch out many brains at work!
for a government so ideologically opposed to the chinese governments tactics, they really do seem to be taking more than a few pages out of their big book of paranoia lately
hah ice cube was the first, but i guess now EVERYONE is Amerikka’s Most Wanted
Ok, this practice has nothing to do with the Patriot Act, and little to do with 9/11 or the Bush Administration.
First, this only happens when entering the US from a foreign country. Second, before you enter Customs, you technically are not on US Soil, so you ave no constitutional rights yet (I think). Third, it’s been a long standing practice for the US to inspect people and packages entering into the US. 4th, and final, the courts don’t view a computer as any different than your suitcase, or a crate, or a package. They can search it all before allowing it into the US. If you encrypt the contents, they can seize the computer and take you to court to compel you to give up the password.
With all that said, I really dislike this practice, and I would tell anyone traveling overseas to take care of what is on their computer.
And TSA employees are a joke universally. They are not law enforcement and have no real authority. Customs Officers, however ARE the police and are sworn federal officers, so tread lightly with them.
i tread lightly on none of those m
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Actually, the internet was NOT a sole American invention. True it developed from the original Arpanet designed to connect military, government and educational establishments in the US with a network that could survive in the event of a nuclear attack or other catastrophe. However, Arpanet and the internet owe a great deal to work done by British scientists such as Donald Davies at the UK’s National Physics Laboratory in the late 60s. He came up with the idea of packet switching, and even built the world’s first fully functioning LAN that used packet switching. He was then invited to put his ideas and to demonstrate to the guys looking at designing Arpanet who took up the principles he devised. Then of course there is Tim Berners Lee who came up with the world wide web we all know and love. Truth is, we have both the US and the UK to thank for the internet and the WWW as we know it. So enough of this “my country invented the internet” crap.
As for this story, it’s certainly true that the UK is also paranoid. We tend to follow the lead of the US on issues such as this, so expect to see these draconian measures implemented over here soon. The only good thing is that we have press and politicians willing to make some noise about it, but whether they do any good is another matter. One of our MPs recently resigned over the burgeoning police state mentality. True, his seat was never in doubt and he was easily re-elected however, his resignation did cause a media furore and drew attention to the issue in a way that had never happened before. All of the news bulletins and newspapers have carried stories about government intrusion, draconian laws, anti terror laws being misused and others privacy issues such as Phorm the massively intrusive advertising system ever since (you guys in the US have a similar system coming called NebuAd, but at least on this your politicians are waking up). It’s happening slowly, but you now hear ordinary people on the streets and in pubs talking about the way we are headed and starting to ask questions and protest, which can only be a good thing if people start to take it seriously. Whether our goverment actually listen is another matter, and so far they don’t seem to be listening at all.
@151
As a physical object they can look into my laptop … but the information is different, same as listening to you phone calls or reading your e-mails, unless the have proof that you have something illegal on that hdd they should not stick their nose.
p.s. why bother transporting videos with a laptop when you can transmit it over internet… ?
The illuminate is slowly taking over the world..
They are everywhere,nazis,communists,mafia,government,whatever,all run by the freemasons..
Yeah… that’s pretty rough. I mean, your laptop is your soul right? It’s your bread and butter, right? It’s your pain, pleasure, love and hatred, right? Oh my… how can I go on living without one in my relative carefree and cozy country?
Or is it just an electronic device?