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CryptoCat Developer Questioned At US-Canadian Border

Dangerous_Minds writes "ZeroPaid is documenting some comments made by an encrypted chat developer who was interrogated at the U.S. border recently. According to the CryptoCat developer, border guards confiscated his passport and interrogated him about the application he developed. Most notably, he commented, "The interrogator (who claimed 22 years of computer experience) asked me which algorithms Cryptocat used and about its censorship resistance.""

7 of 271 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Confiscated the Passport for an Hour by chill · · Score: 4, Informative

    Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. A secondary screening can take anywhere from 15 minutes to a couple of hours normally. It'll be much longer if they really think they have something on you. But going through an hour of the bureaucracy and questioning isn't something to really write a letter home about. A footnote, maybe, but not a letter.

    Would the dev felt better if it was an hour of pointless and inane questions?

    --
    Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
  2. Re:Confiscated the Passport for an Hour by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    I've crossed the border between Russia and just about anywhere you can think of that shares a border with Russia. I have never ever been interrogated at their border. I've even crossed the Ukrainian Moldovan border with another individual who overstayed his visa for months. They barely asked any questions even then, they just walked him to a nearby bank and had him pay a fine (the fine is paid directly to the bank to prevent the possibility of the border guard pocketing it). I even overstayed my own visa while exiting Ukraine. I didn't even miss my flight.
     
    People need to realize that the United States has a very brutal regime in charge at the moment.

  3. Re:Confiscated the Passport for an Hour by wpi97 · · Score: 4, Informative
    The "Occupiers" were able to protest for many days or even months in many US cities. Some were arrested for disturbing the peace or for refusing to leave after *very* long time. According to Wikipedia, the protest in Boston lasted for over 70 days. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupy_Boston During that time 186 people have been arrested, with NO injuries.

    There is no comparison to Russia, where people have been arrested and beaten in the streets with no justification at all. Some opposition leaders have been arrested right after leaving their houses, before they even got to a protests.

    On a related note, in Russia people are protesting massive election fraud by the ruling party and massive corruption in all levels of government. I am still trying to figure out what exactly the "Occupiers" in the US are protesting against.

    IMHO, there is no comparison between the occupy movement in the US and the protests in Russia.

  4. Re: Immigration and Customs are dangerous by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    It possible to get a waiver on religious grounds for the part of the oath that requires you to bear arms. See http://www.uscis.gov/files/article/chapter5.pdf

    I don't think your relatives looked very carefully at the citizenship process.

  5. Re: Immigration and Customs are dangerous by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Except that the restrictions on even peaceful protest in the united states has exceeded a reasonable level. Protesting outside of a 'designated zone' (which will be so far away from what you are attempting to protest as to be effectively censorship of your statement); arrest.

    Failure to identify your intent to protest; arrest.

    Challenge a politician with a non-vetted question during a presentation at a public location- fine+removal, refuse to leave; arrest.

    Protesting for too long; eviction, arrest, and fines.

    Actually effectively delivering your message via a gimmick; fine, told to stop, arrest if you refuse (under 'obstructing traffic, or public nuisance)

    Chanting your slogan fine, told to stop, arrest if you refuse (under 'obstructing traffic', or public nuisance)

    Essentially protesting, even peaceful protesting, is now a fine-able or arrestable offence.

  6. Re: Immigration and Customs are dangerous by Hatta · · Score: 4, Informative

    Protesting in a way that results in a fine is not something you are supposed to do at all

    When the government doesn't respect your right to peaceably assemble, how else are you supposed to protest?

    The only protests worth participating in are the ones that could actually change something. Those are the protests that the government will fight with all of its power. That power includes arresting protesters for simply protesting. This is what we saw happen last fall from NY to Oakland.

    Think of it this way, if Mubarak had tried to forcibly clear Tahrir square with the excuse of "health and safety", the international community wouldn't have bought that excuse for a second. Yet the US is allowed to get away with claiming "health and safety" as a reason to break up peaceable assembleys like Occupy. And nobody bats an eye.

    If you could trust the government to follow the rule of law, you'd have a point. But we're far, far past that point.

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  7. Re:Confiscated the Passport for an Hour by tibman · · Score: 4, Informative

    Actually, i have been maced (and not that baby stuff the police use) and tazered.

    If you have to choose, always take the taze. It will only last for as long as a charge is being sent. The very moment the charge stops you have nearly full function again and there is no pain. You don't fall unconscious like they show in the movies. It merely makes you lose control of your body and you collapse.. it is an odd feeling.

    Chemicals in the face suck and are designed to stick around. You can't just splash some water on your face and call it good. In fact, splashing water on your face will make it far far worse.

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    http://soylentnews.org/~tibman