Searching electronic devices at US Border: Story

[LadyJane 1]

Hi all,

Just as an FYI. If you travel to the US on business often, you may have noticed this.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23037049/

[KGSodie 0]

Good grief, this is absurd.

[Krikit 1,164]

[neiks 19]

The majority of child pornography out there is no longer in paper form but on computer. Both US and Canada border agencies are having much better success on cracking down on child explotation and pornography. If it helps track down and put away one perv, then it is well worth it, and that is my personal perspective as a parent and sadly, in profession experience i have seen the ####### that is out there.

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

The majority of child pornography out there is no longer in paper form but on computer. Both US and Canada border agencies are having much better success on cracking down on child explotation and pornography. If it helps track down and put away one perv, then it is well worth it, and that is my personal perspective as a parent and sadly, in profession experience i have seen the ####### that is out there.

I must respectfully disagree with you on this. I don't want these scumbags out there either, but this is collective punishment. Pure and simple, no ifs, buts or ands about it. In the article all three people had "foreign-sounding" names. Coincidence, what do you think? There was no child pornography in any of these cases but the nevertheless information was copied and in the case of the first lady in the article, erased. No police force has these kind of powers yet the CBP would arrogate the power to decide what we can think. Big brother or at least CBP is watching you. Maybe instead to doing this #######, we can figure out how to better deal with the child pornography problem. I'm sorry but not only is the road to Hell is indeed paved with good intentions, so is the road to a police state.

[thermophile 0]

if a border patrol guard wants to search my computer, fine. but there is no way I would leave it with them for them to send it back or not. my very pale white ### would be in one of their chairs watching them the whole time (which the color of my ### pretty much precludes this ever being an issue because it is obviously a case of racial profiling) but regardless, my computer will not leave my sight.

Mumsie, I agree. there has to be a reason (let me see what is that reason called in legal terms??? oh yeah a search warrant) for any branch of the government to be searching through my belongings. If someone thinks that my computer is a bomb then x-ray it. if they think that I have some links to terrorists, then detain me and my computer, get a warrant, then search it. Same thing if they suspect that I have some other type of digital contraband.

No offense to Neiks or Zyggy or any of the other fabulous individuals that are border guards or police, but there is a system in place for a reason. No one person should have the power to conduct searches without oversight, the vast majority of the individuals given that power would probably not abuse it-but some of them would.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

if a border patrol guard wants to search my computer, fine. but there is no way I would leave it with them for them to send it back or not. my very pale white ### would be in one of their chairs watching them the whole time (which the color of my ### pretty much precludes this ever being an issue because it is obviously a case of racial profiling) but regardless, my computer will not leave my sight.

Mumsie, I agree. there has to be a reason (let me see what is that reason called in legal terms??? oh yeah a search warrant) for any branch of the government to be searching through my belongings. If someone thinks that my computer is a bomb then x-ray it. if they think that I have some links to terrorists, then detain me and my computer, get a warrant, then search it. Same thing if they suspect that I have some other type of digital contraband.

No offense to Neiks or Zyggy or any of the other fabulous individuals that are border guards or police, but there is a system in place for a reason. No one person should have the power to conduct searches without oversight, the vast majority of the individuals given that power would probably not abuse it-but some of them would.

the wisdom of termophile and Mumsie are, well, in between impressive and creepy

In all seriousness, I agree with you both. and that's why you are wise