democracy
Quote
Aug/02/2008 08:10 Filed in: Ramblings
Any society that would give up a little liberty to
gain a little security will deserve neither and lose
both.
--- Benjamin Franklin
--- Benjamin Franklin
Feds can seize travelers' electronics and more
Aug/02/2008 08:06 Filed in: Ramblings
As of July 16, US federal agents have the power to
seize travelers' laptops and other electronic devices
at the border and hold them for however long they
want, says a Friday report. The seizures do not
require a suspicion of wrongdoing, and are aimed to
counter terrorism, with the new policies passed by
two Department of Homeland Security agencies. The
contents of the confiscated laptops and electronics
can then be shared with not only other agencies, but
private entities in order to decrypt the data they
contain.
DHS officials maintain the new policies allow federal agents to take any hard drives, flash drives, cell phones, iPods, pagers, beepers and video or audio tapes, as well as books and any written materials from any person entering the USA, US citizens included. While the measures were being practiced before they were made public in mid-July, pressure from civil rights and business travel groups made the government admit the existence new policies.
DHS officials maintain the new policies allow federal agents to take any hard drives, flash drives, cell phones, iPods, pagers, beepers and video or audio tapes, as well as books and any written materials from any person entering the USA, US citizens included. While the measures were being practiced before they were made public in mid-July, pressure from civil rights and business travel groups made the government admit the existence new policies.