Be wary when entering the United States...

[man with no head]

Laptops can be seized and examined without a search warrant or reasonable cause.

I think search and seizure without a warrant or probable cause is a dangerous precedent even if it's border control.

[friscofrankie]

I particularly like this one:

But Brennan and Marshall were outvoted by their fellow justices, who ruled that the drug war trumped privacy, citing a "veritable national crisis in law enforcement caused by smuggling of illicit narcotics." Today their decision means that laptop-toting travelers should expect no privacy either.

Drug war, War on terrorism, all excuses for hte US governement to fuck it's citizens. it's really startng earlier than I thought. This keeps up at this pace in less than five more years we're gonna see warrantless searches commonplace. Fuckin coutry's goin' to hell in a bucket.

[man with no head]

Maybe they'll extend it to digital cameras, MP3 players, etc.

[friscofrankie]

So, would the cache from my surfing the web for info on an EMP bomb get me busted? Or just some sick fuckin HS goon lookin' up my butt?
One more reason to stay here I guess...

[Mr Earl]

I just entered through LAX a few days ago.
On the airplane there was a lengthy HS video about fingerprint checking your ID.
But apparently not in use yet. It was the smoothest US entry yet.
Soon I guess they are going to be matching ID's and fingerprints looking for bad guys.

If you're a criminal or some bad guy you have cause to worry.
The US while scary with the new security, infringes on ones liberties a little less than say when Thailand decides to crack down on drug dealers.
I don't have much sympathy for drug dealers or child pornographers.

[friscofrankie]

I don't have much sympathy for drug dealers or child pornographers.

What about the Constitution?

[endure]

I spent 10 years of my life popping in and out of countries all over the world and undoubtedly the biggest bastards I ever came across were the US INS f*ckers. They made KGB Border guards and the men of Medellin look like nice guys.

[Bung]

I travel in and out of the US every couple of months and it is way easier now they finger print and photo you. I've noticed the INS people are a lot more friendly as a result.

Had plenty of hassles though more than anywhere else in the world and the worst is that they always stamp my bording pass when exiting the US with SSSS which has me taken aside for a secondary search.

Maybe because of all the Laos and Burmese visa run stamps in my passport or because I often enter and exit by sea....

[Butterfly]

I spent 10 years of my life popping in and out of countries all over the world and undoubtedly the biggest bastards I ever came across were the US INS f*ckers. They made KGB Border guards and the men of Medellin look like nice guys.

Yep, always been the case. Nasty stupid fuckers. It would only be worse if you could put the army instead.

[Mr Earl]

I don't have much sympathy for drug dealers or child pornographers.

What about the Constitution?

Is the constitution designed to protect criminals?

Is is I guess if you're an ACLU member!

[Mr Earl]

I spent 10 years of my life popping in and out of countries all over the world and undoubtedly the biggest bastards I ever came across were the US INS f*ckers. They made KGB Border guards and the men of Medellin look like nice guys.

I think the KGB and Medellin guys just shoot you in the face first then ask the questions. Hardly an apt analogy.

[Marmite the Dog]

Is the constitution designed to protect criminals?

Not exactly. It's designed to protect the rights of every citizen. Those rights are being taken away at an alarming rate as the US slips towards its fall. It's the only possible outcome for such an ignorant & arrogant nation, and it'll probably happen within my lifetime (fingers crossed).

[endure]

I spent 10 years of my life popping in and out of countries all over the world and undoubtedly the biggest bastards I ever came across were the US INS f*ckers. They made KGB Border guards and the men of Medellin look like nice guys.

I think the KGB and Medellin guys just shoot you in the face first then ask the questions. Hardly an apt analogy.

I found immigration officials in both the USSR and Colombia much less aggressive and ignorant than their counterparts in the USA.

[Mr Earl]

I've been traveling for over 40 years and in the past returning to the USA has usually been a PITA.

But i don't think the US custom have exclusive rights to ignorance.
I remember once at Heathrow some customs bozo insisted on counting the money I had.

If recent experience is an indicator I'd say the US customs are getting better not worse.

In Thailand I've run into some of the best and on occasion some of the stupidest customs people.

[stroller]

^
Don't forget you're a US citizen, the cards are dealt differently for the rest of us.
Also, I'm sure that Bush/Cheney sticker helps to smooth things a bit.

[Mr Earl]

^
Don't forget you're a US citizen, the cards are dealt differently for the rest of us.
Also, I'm sure that Bush/Cheney sticker helps to smooth things a bit.

The "I love Dubya" tattoo on my forehead works!

[endure]

I've been traveling for over 40 years and in the past returning to the USA has usually been a PITA.

But i don't think the US custom have exclusive rights to ignorance.

I didn't say they had exclusive rights. I suspect that the (usually) wholely admirable American desire to be the best at everything encourages them to be bigger assholes than their foreign counterparts.

[friscofrankie]

Is the constitution designed to protect criminals?

Not exactly. It's designed to protect the rights of every citizen. Those rights are being taken away at an alarming rate as the US slips towards its fall. It's the only possible outcome for such an ignorant & arrogant nation, and it'll probably happen within my lifetime (fingers crossed).

Didn't see Mr Earl's reply to my post.
But this:

Not exactly. It's designed to protect the rights of every citizen.

And this:

Those rights are being taken away at an alarming rate

Really say it all.

Shame he had to follow it with this:

as the US slips towards its fall. It's the only possible outcome for such an ignorant & arrogant nation, and it'll probably happen within my lifetime (fingers crossed).

Don't think so. it is a scary and slippery slope the the US is perched on, I don't think the current administration (not the pres, etc; but the fellas pulling the strings) will remain in power. The damage done may take twenty years or more to rectify but I think the American public will eventually wake up once the barrage of propaganda is lessened. It really is our only hope. Couldn't possibly think of a New "big boy on the block" that would be better.
And there is always a "Big Boy" The wolrd ain't ready for Utopia.

[njdesi]

Aside from waiting in long lines, I haven't had any probems going through US customs. They usually ask me a few questions about what type of work I do and ask a few followup questions. Then they ask me the same question in a different manner to make sure I give the same answer. I think they do this with anyone who looks like an Arab.

In Japan, my bags are always searched thoroughly, even before I am about to board the plane. When I went to Amsterdam, the custom official asked me a few questions and then left the booth to most likely run my passport through a interpol database or something similiar to see if there was a match.

On my arrival flight to the UK, there was a relatively young guy working in passport control. After asking me a few questions, he knew I was American and let me in with no problems. The second time I arrived in the UK, I was given the third degree by some old hag. After a few questions, I didn't get the impression that she thought I was a terrorist. She was asking me questions you would ask a potential asylum seeker! That's right, I am going to leave a well paying job in the States to live in a small island where it rains all the time, no one smiles, and they put chicken in their korma.

[Mr Earl]

Romm was denied entry by the Canadian authorities because of his criminal history. When he returned to the Seattle-Tacoma airport, he was interviewed by two agents of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement division.

Aren't we missing some important points here?

This guy had a criminal history. Canada denied him entry. I'm not surprised the US authorities decided to take a little extra interest in the guy.
It certainly wasn't as random violation of privacy as the tittle to this thread would lead us to believe.

[RDN]

So, would the cache from my surfing the web for info on an EMP bomb get me busted? Or just some sick fuckin HS goon lookin' up my butt?
One more reason to stay here I guess...

Re: lap-tops - zip up and password protect everything you think might cause you grief. Rename it "pagefile0.sys" or "hiberfil0.sys" and keep it in C: next to the real pagefile.sys or hiberfil.sys.

Then use a cleaner e.g. Evidence Eliminator

Edit:

I just read the OP's link - seems like he got caught with deleted child porn on his drive. He probably got what he deserved, but even so this case sets a worrying precedent, but good news for disk-eraser utility retailers.

[RDN]

Aren't we missing some important points here?

This guy had a criminal history. Canada denied him entry. I'm not surprised the US authorities decided to take a little extra interest in the guy.
It certainly wasn't as random violation of privacy as the tittle to this thread would lead us to believe.

But unfortunately THAT wasn't the reason that the Supreme Court came up with for allowing the search. The reason - according to the article - was:

...the drug war trumped privacy, citing a "veritable national crisis in law enforcement caused by smuggling of illicit narcotics."

Having said that, I would have thought that anyone refused entry by one country OUGHT to be searched by the country he's sent back to, if the reason he was refused entry was serious enough.

[Eliminator]

It's all a bunch of BS, if you haven't got anything to hide, then why worry? If you have child porn on your computer,have a criminal record, visit countries known for drug dealings or even a muslim, then expect questions to be asked. It's not too far fetched in my way of thinking if you have any of the fore mentioned things to pertain to you. Way too late is what I think. I'm not an asshole but I do have one, just like all you others have one and an opinion to go with it.

[stroller]

I'm not an asshole but I do have one, just like all you others have one ...

...and you don't seem to mind if an officer were to poke his finger in at every border crossing. Or are you hiding something in there?

[Marmite the Dog]

I think it doesn't really matter where you go in the west with regard to customs officials. I've never had a problem and I've travelled to many places, but my mum was harrassed on her return from Thailand earlier this year by some Paki kunt.