The U.S. Border staff has been given the legal right to search and seize any laptop or other electronic device that contain data files. ; They have been doing this since mid-July. They can make you go through as many of your files as they deem necessary to confirm you are not carrying suspicious information. They can decide to take the device from your with no explanation or make copies of your entire system and share the data with other agencies. A recently released U.S. Department of Homeland Security (HDS) policy indicates that agents do not need suspicion of wrongdoing to confiscate the electronic devices and that data contained in the devices may be shared with other agencies for decryption or other purposes. The policy covers laptops, MP3 players, pagers, cell phones, PDAs, voice recorders, digital and video cameras. If you are a regular traveler to the United States, you should make sure that you have full backup copies of everything on any device listed above as you will not know when you may get the device back. There has been no confirmation if any Canadian has had their computer seized, but multiple Americans have lost their computers under this new legislation. Some regular travelers are now arranging to have their electronic devices couriered to the location they are travelling to avoid the delay. http://www.customs.gov/linkhandler/cgov/travel/admissability/search_authority.ctt/search_authority.pdf http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/01/AR2008080103030.html Hot on the heals of the Washington post article was a bill introduced to congress in the U.S. – It is called Securing Our Borders and Our Data Act of 2008 - HR 6702. It will be interesting on how this proceeds. Here is a copy of the bill - http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.6702:
This is scary stuff. It's one thing to be inconvenienced for a little bit in the name of security but this takes it to nazi levels I can't believe Americans are letting this go through and aren't yelling about it.
All part of the 9/11 reaction and the authorities seeing another way to intrude on civil liberties. I'm all for security at the airport but I'm not convinced than taking off my shoes, targeting people with a certain look and not allowing tooth paste really makes it safer in the air. The bad guys will always figure out a way do an end run around security and locked doors keep out honest people.
