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Senate Hearing On Laptop Seizures At US Border

Posted by kdawson on from the cold-dead-fingers dept.

suitablegirl writes "As we have discussed, Customs and Border Patrol is allowed to seize and download data from laptops or electronic devices of Americans returning from abroad. At a Senate hearing tomorrow, privacy advocates and industry groups will urge the lawmakers to take action to protect the data and privacy of Americans not guilty of anything besides wanting to go home."

13 of 526 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Countermeasure by Concerned+Onlooker · · Score: 5, Funny

    You know, they will be searching you. You don't want to give them any ideas.

    --
    http://www.rootstrikers.org/
  2. Re:Can we be a little more inclusive? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Haven't you figured out you're not welcome yet?

  3. Re:About time. by linzeal · · Score: 5, Funny

    This only punishes people who are not technically savvy enough to encrypt their documents or store them in a USB key drive.

    --
    An Education is the Font of All Liberty
  4. Re:About time. by EnglishSteve · · Score: 5, Funny

    MentalImage.Erase()

  5. Re:About time. by MrNaz · · Score: 4, Funny

    Just to clarify that conjugation there:
    Noun: Terrorist.
    Adjective: Terroristish.
    Adverb: Terroristically.
    Other: Terroristificationism.

    --
    I hate printers.
  6. Re:Can we be a little more inclusive? by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Funny

    Umm... could it be that some dimwit in some agency mistook tourism for terrorism? I mean, they do sound similar...

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  7. Re:About time. by Nuskrad · · Score: 4, Funny

    Oh thanks, you just gave them reason to cavity search all geeks.

  8. Re:About time. by Antique+Geekmeister · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'd give quite a lot to see the guard who tries to search Richard Stallman. The man is famous for not bathing, and you could probably hide an OLPC laptop in that beard.

  9. Re:On a technicality... by Ihlosi · · Score: 4, Funny
    If you're not in the US yet, how can you have committed any crime in US jurisdiction? If you are in the US then surely you're entitled to the protection of the US constitution?

    Your prenineeleventhink is simply appalling, citizen.

  10. Re:About time. by syousef · · Score: 4, Funny

    This is not new. It predates The War on [noun/adjective/adverb/other]
    End of discussion.

    The issue here is not whether they can inspect your documents, but whether they can keep a copy of your electronic files.

    I think you misunderstand what "End of discussion." means.

    --
    These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
  11. Re:About time. by aproposofwhat · · Score: 5, Funny

    stagonometry

    Encrypted information hidden in the shape of antlers?

    Excellent idea - especially for those damn Scandinavian terrorists bringing their Lapp tops complete with reindeer antlers into the country :o)

    --
    One swallow does not a fellatrix make
  12. Re:About time. by oldspewey · · Score: 4, Funny

    Goatse modded insightful? Isn't this one of the seven signs of the coming apocalypse?

    --
    If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
  13. Re:About time. by Scrameustache · · Score: 4, Funny

    4th Amendment anyone!?! That's pre-911 thinking, obviously you hate america, and you're probably a secret muslim sleeper agent. We'd better shoot you, just to be safe.
    --

    You can't take the sky from me...