Suit: Airport searches of laptops, other devices intrusive - CNN.com
Suit: Airport searches of laptops, other devices intrusive - CNN.com
The Customs and Border Protection defends the searches, saying the agency does not need to show probable cause to look inside suitcases or laptops.
"We have broad search authority at the borders to determine admissibility and look for anything that may be in violation of criminal law," says agency spokeswoman Lynn Hollinger.
Hollinger says electronic devices could contain evidence of possible ties to terrorism, narcotics smuggling, child pornography and other criminal activities.
This is crazy...I would be totally irritated to have someone go through my personal emails and such without cause. This is another one of those 'Homeland Security' options that needs to be removed. This is far beyond what should be allowed.
posted by drc @ 12:28 PM
2 Comments:
As someone who does this for a living let me assure you that your boring emails hold no thrill for me. I may glance at your files but if the subject matter does not relate to illegal matters it does not pique my interests what so ever. What does interest me is when I find pictures of sick people victimizing children, pictures of people in the desert with assault weapons and Maps or building plans in the possession of someone who holds a menial job back home. These are the some things I am looking for. I would like you to think how terrible some one looking at your personal items is compared to seeing a mother holding the dismembered body of her child or husband killed by a terrorist bomb. Then I want you to think about how thankful you would be if someone who sexually abused a child is captured because a sharp eyed customs agent found pictures on his or her laptop before they could hurt your child. I do my job and see lots of nasty things. I work long hours, sometimes without a choice. I get sick a lot because I come in contact with hundreds of people from around the world every day. I do this so my family and yours can go to the city and enjoy a play or parade without having to worry about being killed by some fanatics or molested by some pervert. Customs and Border Protection Officers capture more criminals with outstanding warrants then any other police agency in the world. Enjoy your Easter because while your family and mine are coloring Easter eggs and enjoying a nice dinner I will be working 12 hours checking laptops, searching bags and questioning suspicious travelers to keep all of you safe!!!
It isn't that I don't understand the concept behind the searches - I do. I just thought in this country, there had to be reasonable cause behind a search. A policeman can't just walk in your house and start searching without just cause. He can ask you if you will allow it, but if you say no, he has no choice, but to walk away until he can get a warrant. Shouldn't the same thing apply in this case? Innocent until proven guilty? Or is every traveler automatically guilty until proven innocent? And how do you decide which ones to check? I have flown for years. I always carry my laptop and PDA with me. I have never been asked to open it up and share with the world what is on it. There are lots of things about this that stink. I appreciate what customs officials do for all of us. You are hard-working devoted people and I would not want your job for the world, but there should be limits to everything.
And I sleep better at night because my son and his fellow Marines are protecting me.
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