CBSA Reveals Some Laptop Search Info, But Not Much

gmcmullen writes "The Canada Border Service Agency took its time getting documents on its policy for border searches of laptops to the BC Civil Liberties Association in response to an Access to Information request the BCCLA filed in October 2009. When the reply did come through, there wasn't much there. The documents were heavily redacted and whole sections of the Access to Information request were ignored, including requests for information on the number of laptops searched and policies for copying data from electronic devices. We did learn that the CBSA knows that 500 megabytes is roughly equivalent to 'a pickup truck full of books,' and use Windows-only software called ICWhatUC to scan for images. Documents also revealed that the CBSA understands that most 'Japanese Anime' is not child pornography, and that your family photos (even with kids in the tub) aren't child pornography either. We've made the documents we did receive available online so you can see for yourself."

Comments

Re:Legal, but dubious

[HungryHobo]

Oh I was commenting on the apparent goals, not proposing how I think things should be.

Re:Legal, but dubious

[sheph]

"Lock up anyone who might become a child abuser?"

And how exactly would you go about determining that? If you lock up 9 people who are innocent, but 1 who's not is that justice?
I'm all for stamping out true child abuse (sexual abuse, torture, inhumane punishment, harm due to parental psychosis, etc), but the very term has had such a wide array of meanings attached to it. It's become practically useless in conversation without some form of further definition. Even those who work for children's services have different ideas of what constitutes child abuse, and these are the people who have the power to take your kids away. Do you really want leave that decision up to security personel based on what they think you might do???