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Laptops Can Be Searched At the Border

Posted by kdawson on from the don't-need-no-stinkin'-suspicion dept.

Nothing to Declare notes that a California appeals court has unanimously upheld a ruling that border security officers at international airports can search personal computers without requiring any specific evidence of criminal activity. The appeal was made by US resident Michael Timothy Arnold, charged with child pornography offenses after an airport search of his notebook PC in 2005. Might want to think hard about what's on your laptop if you're going to be passing through a US international airport.

8 of 821 comments (clear)

  1. Re:I Wonder by Z00L00K · · Score: 5, Funny
    Time for all of us to let our laptops boot up into obscure korean, sami or other languages when they are going to inspect them. Maybe a power supply requiring a 400VAC feed too - and no battery :-)

    Odd operating systems like AROS or text only interfaces may also do well. You just can't fail the nerdity test then!

    --
    If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker would destroy civilization.
  2. Re:I Wonder by Teckla · · Score: 5, Funny

    The sad part, is this sets a president if it is allowed to stand, and whittles away at everything else.

    The Supreme Court doesn't set presidents, they set precedents.

    Oh, wait...

  3. Re:I Wonder by Kozar_The_Malignant · · Score: 5, Funny

    I wonder if you can set a president to self destruct?

    Judging from his poll numbers, it is safe to say that GWB has. The truthiness of this is beyond doubtability.

    --
    Some mornings it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints to get out of bed.
  4. Re:4th Amendment... by Kohath · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm not seeing what your point is. You can cross the border and be searched. Or you can not cross the border and not submit to a search.

    Are you saying you were flying along and accidentally encountered the US border?

  5. Re:Time to think by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
    Your making mine eyes to bleeding.

    It came about because people are too lazy to take responsibility for themselves. They want the government to do it all. So it obliges (?) and once that happens, they start complaining that their rights are being taken away.

    When you cry, "think of the children," another right is taken away.
  6. Re:I Wonder by Minwee · · Score: 5, Funny

    So just delete /boot/grub/menu.lst after memorizing the magic commands to boot your system, and leave the customs agents staring at the GRUB> prompt.

    As it happens, many customs agents know their own magic commands to boot the system.

    "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to boot this computer."

    Saying "No" isn't the most helpful answer to that request.

  7. Re:I Wonder by TeknoHog · · Score: 5, Funny

    You can't carry drugs or bombs in paper files either. Except maybe LSD. Thanks for the tip ;)

    It seems your 'R' key is a little wonky, though you managed to type 'for' correctly.

    --
    Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
  8. Re:I Wonder by sexybomber · · Score: 5, Funny

    Time for all of us to let our laptops boot up into obscure korean, sami or other languages when they are going to inspect them. Maybe a power supply requiring a 400VAC feed too - and no battery :-)

    Odd operating systems like AROS or text only interfaces may also do well. You just can't fail the nerdity test then!


    Uhhhh, I know you're kidding, but may I remind you that some (most?) TSA thugs are so dense that they couldn't figure out what a MacBook Air was? I'll bet you a beer that the situation turns out something like this:

    $RANDOM_GEEK: Here you go, officer.
    (Laptop boots with Korean-language GRUB bootloader)
    TSA Guy: Whut the f**k is this? That some sorta Muslamian language? ARE YOU A TERRORIST, BOY?
    $RANDOM_GEEK: No, it's just...
    *brrrrrzap*
    $RANDOM_GEEK: Don't tase me, bro!
    TSA Guy: BACKUP! I NEED BACKUP!