[Merged] US Border agents can now seize your electronic devices

[lurker]

As of July 16 2008 U.S Border agents can seize your laptops, cellphones, USB devices..........etc and make copies of your data.


Look here:

http://technology.sympatico.msn.cbc.ca/US+border+agents+given+power+to+seize+travellers+l aptops+cellphones/News/ContentPosting?isfa=1&newsitemid=border-searches&feedname=CBC-TECH-SCIENCE-V3&show=False&number=0&showbyline=True&subtitle=&detect=&abc=abc&date=Tr






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[dragon_drift]

that sucks...i was gonna bring my ipod with me to the states =/

[nano]

that sucks...i was gonna bring my ipod with me to the states =/

WTF you worried that the government is going to see what you have on your ipod?

[hagbard]

Police States of America. :o

[darkprince]

Crap! I guess i am going to leave my Calculator at home when i goto New York next week. =(

Don't want them going through the "M+" memory which contains "Pi"="3.1416.........etc"

[JAC]

We are, livin' in a police state
Situations getting grave
Right now
It's over yeah.

We are, livin' in a police state
More than your rights at stake
Right now
I'm takin' it.

[Aznkid2000]

wouldn't that take a very long time, when say you have 500GB of stuff on your laptop....

and do they do it to everyone or only people they are suspicious of

[dragon_drift]

WTF you worried that the government is going to see what you have on your ipod?

I also use it a storage device. I have contacts etc. in there too.

[phyrefly]

Cool, I'll load mine up with all kinds of nasty viruses when crossing the border :D. A DoD botnet would be so awesome.

[Aznkid2000]

someone put a deadly virus on your laptop and let them make a copy of your laptop :cheesygri lol

[AcidBomber]

someone put a deadly virus on your laptop and let them make a copy of your laptop :cheesygri lol

LOL good idea, crash their system :cheesygri

[gman]

wouldn't that take a very long time, when say you have 500GB of stuff on your laptop....

and do they do it to everyone or only people they are suspicious of

They have all the time they want. They can just seize your stuff and may give it back to you next year.

[perplexed_one]

They should really give themselves a cool name along the lines of "Stasi and the Gestapo."

[Kasakato]

wouldn't that take a very long time, when say you have 500GB of stuff on your laptop....

and do they do it to everyone or only people they are suspicious of

They can also do it for any reason they want, probable cause or not. The reason is that border crossings are not located on US soil, and therefore are exempt from the 4th Amendment of the Constitution as per the federal courts.

[ace1919]

wouldn't that take a very long time, when say you have 500GB of stuff on your laptop....

and do they do it to everyone or only people they are suspicious of

They have all the time they want. They can just seize your stuff and may give it back to you next year.


1 year or 5... The policy does not outline a timeframe in which materials must be returned.

[Peckerwood]

They should really give themselves a cool name along the lines of "Stasi and the Gestapo."
State Secret Police

Geheime Staats Polizei

;)

Of course for them to seriously have the same authority then they would need a Reichstagsbrandverordnung...like this:

Order of the Reich President for the Protection of People and State

On the basis of Article 48 paragraph 2 of the Constitution of the German Reich, the following is ordered in defense against Communist state-endangering acts of violence:

§ 1. Articles 114, 115, 117, 118, 123, 124 and 153 of the Constitution of the German Reich are suspended until further notice. It is therefore permissible to restrict the rights of personal freedom [habeas corpus], freedom of opinion, including the freedom of the press, the freedom to organize and assemble, the privacy of postal, telegraphic and telephonic communications, and warrants for house searches, orders for confiscations as well as restrictions on property, are also permissible beyond the legal limits otherwise prescribed.

Max Weber was solely responsible for Article 48, using his arguments for "Legitimate Power Monopoly of the State" as the model.

[imoo2u]

US government getting too scared and too panariod. :confused: Now U.S. border agents are given power to seize travellers' laptops, cellphones or whatever. Come on!! kinda od going overboard with homeland security. Do bad guys are that stupid? Internet is easily available and one can sees/gets a lot of sh#ts plus whatever 'illegal' inside US. Soon, you will scan your brain for thoughts if such technology is available and blam!! any adverse (unamerican) thoughts will land you for years in G.B. camp in Cuba.

CBC News link: http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2008/08/01/border-searches.html

[selpats]

So the best answer is, don't enter the US!

The last time I went down is 1998 and I will never, NEVER go back.

[Arkaine]

Time to sanitize mobile devices before visiting/entering US ...


I thought you were saying we had to use hand sanitizer on our cell phones lol

[Valek]

Yay Fascism!

[chrza]

Wow, that's pretty damn ridiculous.

[Uncle Cool]

The US Government does it because the US citizens allow it to.

We the people...

I agree, just stay out of the USA.

But, doesn't this 'law' also cover people who have to travel through, or stop-over in, the USA on their way somewhere else?

[chrza]

But, doesn't this 'law' also cover people who have to travel through, or stop-over in, the USA on their way somewhere else?

Yup.

[Lava]

"the policy says, noting examinations help authorities detect possible instances of terrorism, narcotics smuggling, child pornography and violations of copyright and trademark laws." - From the article

Wow, thanks for warning them in advance... what do they think, terrorists are extremely stupid? That's in fact the opposite, they don't just throw something together in a few minutes, i can take years to plan. So then all they have to do is buy a laptop in the US, then download all the data they need from an online data storage site.

Most drug smugglers would probably bring the bare minimum across the border, and even then, how would they know to search their laptop. They would more easily find the drugs.

They could find child pornography, but it would most likely be on some average joe pervert, not someone who is responsible for it. So all they'll be doing is arresting average joe perverts.

As for trademark and copyright laws, they might as well arrest anyone who has a computer or ipod that crosses the border, cause i guarantee about 90% of people have something that breaks those laws.

This law isn't targeting the problem, it is targeting average people who just want to cross the border. They want tourism to boost their economy, well, this sure as hell isn't helping.

[CSAgent]

Yay Fascism!

Nein! Dat ist verbotten!

[ashgotti]

"the policy says, noting examinations help authorities detect possible instances of terrorism, narcotics smuggling, child pornography and violations of copyright and trademark laws." - From the article

Wow, thanks for warning them in advance... what do they think, terrorists are extremely stupid? That's in fact the opposite, they don't just throw something together in a few minutes, i can take years to plan. So then all they have to do is buy a laptop in the US, then download all the data they need from an online data storage site.

are you saying a terrorists are smart? How do you know how they work?

*ALARMS**RED LIGHTS*TAKE HIS LAPTOP*

anyways, this is on all the news and podcasts i read/listen to so hopefully americans will finally take notice of what they're letting their government do and put an end to it..or they'll elect mccain and this will only get worse.

[CSAgent]

are you saying a terrorists are smart? How do you know how they work?

*ALARMS**RED LIGHTS*TAKE HIS LAPTOP*

anyways, this is on all the news and podcasts i read/listen to so hopefully americans will finally take notice of what they're letting their government do and put an end to it..or they'll elect mccain and this will only get worse.

McCain? Obama all the way!! I predict that if Obama gets elected, it'll be a few months before the extremists down south make an attempt at his life..

[65505201]

are you saying a terrorists are smart? How do you know how they work?

*ALARMS**RED LIGHTS*TAKE HIS LAPTOP*

anyways, this is on all the news and podcasts i read/listen to so hopefully americans will finally take notice of what they're letting their government do and put an end to it..or they'll elect mccain and this will only get worse.

Unfortunately, Obama supports FISA as well.

[ashgotti]

Unfortunately, Obama supports FISA as well.

maybe i'm being niave but i want to believe that he is only voicing his support to cater to the overly paranoid american voters.

[rb]

i guess if a border agent doesn't like u and finds nothing else in your vehicle he could always seize your cell phone/ipod etc etc for spite

[Peckerwood]

McCain...Obama...same coin different faces. Elections in the US have been rigged for some time now.

McCain was part of the Council on Foreign Relations, and Michelle Obama is on the chair of the Chicago branch of the Council on Foreign Relations. Barack was taught foreign policy by a prior senior member of the CFR.

They are all part of the same organizations...soon will come the NAU through the auspices of the SPP.

To hell with Obama...I don't trust any politician that wants to have more power in the hands on the government.

Known political members of the CFR:

Mitt Romney - Republican candidate 2008
Rudy Giuliani - Republican candidate 2008
John McCain - Republican candidate 2008
Fred Thompson - Republican candidate 2008
Sam Brownback - Republican candidate 2008
Tom Tancredo - Republican candidate 2008
Dr. Alan Keyes - Republican candidate 2008
Barack Obama - Democratic candidate 2008
Hillary Clinton - Democratic candidate 2008
John Edwards - Democratic candidate 2008
Chris Dodd - Democratic candidate 2008
Bill Richardson - Democratic candidate 2008
Joe Biden - Democratic candidate 2008
Dick Cheney
John Kerry
Bill Clinton
Al Gore
Ronald Reagan
George H. W. Bush
Gerald Ford
Richard Nixon
John, David & Nelson Rockefeller
Condolezza Rice
Paul Wolfowitz
Alan Greenspan
Colon Powell
Henry Kissinger
Newt Gingrich

[Asmegin]

McCain...Obama...same coin different faces. Elections in the US have been rigged for some time now.

McCain was part of the Council on Foreign Relations, and Michelle Obama is on the chair of the Chicago branch of the Council on Foreign Relations. Barack was taught foreign policy by a prior senior member of the CFR.

They are all part of the same organizations...soon will come the NAU through the auspices of the SPP.

To hell with Obama...I don't trust any politician that wants to have more power in the hands on the government.

:rolleyes:

[molala]

hey..don't get into politics!...this is a great piece of information and this thread will be lock if anymore political comments! :evil:

so...can you upload all your info to ur usb?? do they look in search to see if you have a usb too??

[Uncle Cool]

so...can you upload all your info to ur usb?? do they look in search to see if you have a usb too??

Only if they do a body cavity search...

[65505201]

maybe i'm being niave but i want to believe that he is only voicing his support to cater to the overly paranoid american voters.

:rolleyes:

If this continues, this thread will be locked due to political content. O well. Ash, which of the following scenarios is worse:

A) O truly supports FISA, going against the image he has projected thus far as a force for positive change (what change btw, heh).

B) O doesn't truly support FISA, meaning he's pandering/bending for votes, vs. taking a stand, educating the public, and fighting for civil liberties. As someone willing to bend so easily for an issue so important, he is no different from your run of the mill crooked politician. I'm not a McCain supporter either, but his quote does apply quite well: I'd rather lose an election (votes) to win a war (maintaining civil liberties and freedom in the States).


hey..don't get into politics!...this is a great piece of information and this thread will be lock if anymore political comments!

There was a thread about this started months ago, by me incidentally.

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=583642

Apparently there were no worries by our forum members here.

[Peckerwood]

:rolleyes:
Do some research then maybe your replies won't consist of a single emote.

While you are at it perhaps you can look into the documentary "Hacking Democracy"...true story about constituents sourcing and finding facts about the electronic voting machines and their subsequent lies posited by Diebold now known as Premier Election Solutions. It was a serious look into the actual frailties of the EVM's ...not another tinfoil documentary like Jesus Jones puts on.

Seriously...how is it possible that a voting machine which according to Diebold has no executable program at all on it's memory cards can somehow record -6000 votes for a candidate? the investigators found executable programs and witnessed voting stations throwing into the trash the tally slips(illegal activities)

Diebold has it's machines in over 45% of all voting stations in the US. One other company holds another 45%. All electronic machines

[Peckerwood]

So the best answer is, don't enter the US!

The last time I went down is 1998 and I will never, NEVER go back.
This in itself is probably the most correct post.

Weird...we agree :|

[Peckerwood]

Has anyone considered sending their laptop by mail etc?

What forms of inspection would be subject in that form?

Just a thought

[CheapScotsman]

Has anyone considered sending their laptop by mail etc?

What forms of inspection would be subject in that form?

Just a thoughtI read in a news article a number of months back that what some business are doing is to

a) fedex a clean laptop (new OS install, VPN software) across the border
b) download all info (VPN over the internet) once at the destination
c) upload all info before leaving the destination
d) wipe hard drive and FedEx back home

The laptop could be always be seized no matter how it crosses the border but at least there isn't any info on it.

[Peckerwood]

I read in a news article a number of months back that what some business are doing is to

a) fedex a clean laptop (new OS install, VPN software) across the border
b) download all info (VPN over the internet) once at the destination
c) upload all info before leaving the destination
d) wipe hard drive and FedEx back home

The laptop could be always be seized no matter how it crosses the border but at least there isn't any info on it.
That is not a half bad idea...thanks

:)

[SwiZz]

this is so dumb

so if i take my cell and they confiscate it for some reason, theres a chance that

a) i wont get to use it on my trip
b) wont get it back at all??

how the hell is that justified.........sucks for people with nice cellphones. if they do take it, what happens to your monthly plan?

Me: "I need u to cancel my contract"
Phone Carrier: Why?
Me: The US government seized my phone.

[AudiDude]

That is not a half bad idea...thanks

:)

In school (for MCSE and CCNA) they would give us software for the class and ask us for the disk before we left. We used to upload the software to our FTP sites before we gave the disks back.

[imoo2u]

I read in a news article a number of months back that what some business are doing is to

a) fedex a clean laptop (new OS install, VPN software) across the border
b) download all info (VPN over the internet) once at the destination
c) upload all info before leaving the destination
d) wipe hard drive and FedEx back home

The laptop could be always be seized no matter how it crosses the border but at least there isn't any info on it.

Too troublesome and time-consuming. You have to wipe totally many times over and over to make data irrecoverable but still they can manage to get data if they want to stick your a$$. Perhap encryption might helps and having that data stored on personal portable disks separately not in the laptops' HD.

Off topic ... haven't been to USA for ages and even more discouraged to visit USA after US imposed all those visa requirements this and that for being a cdn PR. That's why US economy is going downhill as tourist $$ is not being spent over there plus the ways that US is showing ... too bossy, nosy. Just look at the US president!! The same goes with Stevie ..you know who!
:cheesygri for high cdn $ to spend other than US and Canada ... visiting Europe, any one? :lol:

[Kasakato]

Too troublesome and time-consuming. You have to wipe totally many times over and over to make data irrecoverable but still they can manage to get data if they want to stick your a$$. Perhap encryption might helps and having that data stored on personal portable disks separately not in the laptops' HD.

It would cost a ridiculous amount of money to recover data after multiple passes. Unless the government suspects somethings going on, its not going to happen.

[blue mountain raider]

why is USA so scared of terrorists? USA has the most advanced military hardware (seen on the discovery show Future Weapons. If USA wanted they can bomb any terrorist country back to stone age.

but USA is acting like a little kid with all the power but dunno how to use it.

[Ebola]

why is USA so scared of terrorists? USA has the most advanced military hardware (seen on the discovery show Future Weapons. If USA wanted they can bomb any terrorist country back to stone age.

but USA is acting like a little kid with all the power but dunno how to use it.

Because convential weaponry is ineffective against terrorism. You cant bomb legitimate nation states that spawn non-state sponsered terrorists.

[Pavel]

i guess if a border agent doesn't like u and finds nothing else in your vehicle he could always seize your cell phone/ipod etc etc for spite

Exactly. If you have any MP3s or MPEG4s on your IPOD or other MP3/video player, the onus is on you to prove that you acquired them legitimately. Of course, our hardworking Canadian Border Guards would NEVER do such a thing. :lol: