Be carefull when travelling with a laptop bros...

[Red Ketchup]

So much for the "home of the free"...

Before entering or returning to the US, make sure you don't have any links to steroid boards, clean all your caches and make sure your laptop is scrubbed clean of any records of online transactions of gear or even ancialiries... DHS are allowed to go fishing thru your personnal data.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...080103030.html

Travelers' Laptops May Be Detained At Border
No Suspicion Required Under DHS Policies

By Ellen Nakashima
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 1, 2008; A01


Federal agents may take a traveler's laptop computer or other electronic device to an off-site location for an unspecified period of time without any suspicion of wrongdoing, as part of border search policies the Department of Homeland Security recently disclosed.

Also, officials may share copies of the laptop's contents with other agencies and private entities for language translation, data decryption or other reasons, 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.

"The policies . . . are truly alarming," said Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.), who is probing the government's border search practices. He said he intends to introduce legislation soon that would require reasonable suspicion for border searches, as well as prohibit profiling on race, religion or national origin.

DHS officials said the newly disclosed policies -- which apply to anyone entering the country, including U.S. citizens -- are reasonable and necessary to prevent terrorism. Officials said such procedures have long been in place but were disclosed last month because of public interest in the matter.

Civil liberties and business travel groups have pressed the government to disclose its procedures as an increasing number of international travelers have reported that their laptops, cellphones and other digital devices had been taken -- for months, in at least one case -- and their contents examined.

The policies state that officers may "detain" laptops "for a reasonable period of time" to "review and analyze information." This may take place "absent individualized suspicion."

The policies cover "any device capable of storing information in digital or analog form," including hard drives, flash drives, cellphones, iPods, pagers, beepers, and video and audio tapes. They also cover "all papers and other written documentation," including books, pamphlets and "written materials commonly referred to as 'pocket trash' or 'pocket litter.' "

Reasonable measures must be taken to protect business information and attorney-client privileged material, the policies say, but there is no specific mention of the handling of personal data such as medical and financial records.

When a review is completed and no probable cause exists to keep the information, any copies of the data must be destroyed. Copies sent to non-federal entities must be returned to DHS. But the documents specify that there is no limitation on authorities keeping written notes or reports about the materials.

"They're saying they can rifle through all the information in a traveler's laptop without having a smidgen of evidence that the traveler is breaking the law," said Greg Nojeim, senior counsel at the Center for Democracy and Technology. Notably, he said, the policies "don't establish any criteria for whose computer can be searched."

Customs Deputy Commissioner Jayson P. Ahern said the efforts "do not infringe on Americans' privacy." In a statement submitted to Feingold for a June hearing on the issue, he noted that the executive branch has long had "plenary authority to conduct routine searches and seizures at the border without probable cause or a warrant" to prevent drugs and other contraband from entering the country.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff wrote in an opinion piece published last month in USA Today that "the most dangerous contraband is often contained in laptop computers or other electronic devices." Searches have uncovered "violent jihadist materials" as well as images of child pornography, he wrote.

With about 400 million travelers entering the country each year, "as a practical matter, travelers only go to secondary [for a more thorough examination] when there is some level of suspicion," Chertoff wrote. "Yet legislation locking in a particular standard for searches would have a dangerous, chilling effect as officers' often split-second assessments are second-guessed."

In April, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco upheld the government's power to conduct searches of an international traveler's laptop without suspicion of wrongdoing. The Customs policy can be viewed at: http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/..._authority.pdf.

[MuscleScience]

Good lord how did we let it get this bad?

[g0dsend]

Wow, that’s ridiculous. I cannot believe what freedoms are being given up to this government; I’m starting to think that China has better freedoms. For no wrong doing and the lap top can be taken for any given amount of time? That’s bull.

[Red Ketchup]

I find this to be the most disturbing:

Also, officials may share copies of the laptop's contents with other agencies and private entities for language translation, data decryption or other reasons

"Share copies of the laptop with other agencies"... meaning even if they find no evidence of terrorism activity, they'll forward anything they find suspicious to other agencies (oh gee like gear purchases to the DEA...)

Basically this is a big "fishing expedition"...

Red

[warchild]

bastards

[g0dsend]

This causes problems for both the homeland security and people traveling. This warns people to clean their laptops, so now the real criminals who actaully can do harm will get past this laptop check.

All they need to do is upload all the info from their hardrive to the net and download it back onto a new hard drive when they get into the country.

[stpete]

Interesting. Thanks for the info.

[Narkissos]

This causes problems for both the homeland security and people traveling. This warns people to clean their laptops, so now the real criminals who actaully can do harm will get past this laptop check.

All they need to do is upload all the info from their hardrive to the net and download it back onto a new hard drive when they get into the country.

Sweet.

I was wondering how I'd keep up my human trafficking business

[Red Ketchup]

Thats easy Nark! Haven't you seen the movie "Tron"?

Red

[DSM4Life]

Will they take all my porn !?!?

[T_Own]

Will they take all my porn !?!?

nah they'll only copy it and share it with other agencies lol

yeah its really not hard to get around, it only inconveniences common people. criminals probably don't carry any traces on them anyway

[gst528i]

Pretty sad day when government can take your shyt and make copies without authorization.

[thegodfather]

Pretty sad day when government can take your shyt and make copies without authorization.

Quiet peasent, its to keep you safe. Have your laptop scanned or get tazed, the choice is yours.

[3v1lj03]

Jack Booted Thugs.
When you trade freedom for security you will get neither!