Comments on: Insecure Borders

By: an.alogo.us » US Customs TSA confiscating laptops

an.alogo.us » US Customs TSA confiscating laptops — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 18:10:22 +0000

[...] also Insecure Borders, which points out that “it’s prompting some employers […] to urge their employees [...]

By: Anonymity. The web and SaaS. at diversity.net.nz

Anonymity. The web and SaaS. at diversity.net.nz — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:48:13 +0000

[...] the Google ‘threat’ and expands on this with some insights into data mining. Then there is the growing infringement of governments on ‘our’ data and viola, I feel vindicated. I know that the ability [...]

By: M.

M. — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 20:14:03 +0000

Yes Allan, weeks. It’s odd, after it happened to me, I started to ask around, and it turns out this is relatively quite common, except that most people (myself included) are too worried to make a big issue of it.

By: Allan Leinwand

Allan Leinwand — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 16:12:12 +0000

An interesting read on a related topic was sent to me that I thought the GigaOm readers would enjoy:

http://jetlagged.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/28/the-airport-security-follies/

By: Allan Leinwand

Allan Leinwand — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 14:18:09 +0000

@M - They took your laptop for weeks?!?!

@Cranky: Did you have to explain to them what a laptop was too?!? That sounds like a crazy and unfortunate experience - thanks for commenting.

By: Cranky Canuck

Cranky Canuck — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:43:13 +0000

Believe it or not, this happened to me 3 years ago in my own country. I was leaving Calgary, going to the US and I had to go through customs at the airport.

I was asked to follow a member of Homeland security, where they have their own x-ray equipment. The agent went through all my luggage, and dive gear and then took me to a “interview room”.

They ordered me to turn on my laptop and then they went through the system and it’s contents. When they asked me about some of the applications that is when they got crazy on me. I have applications for working with Cisco Routers and Switches and Sniffers. Most all high end applications.

I also had technical diving software on the notebook that I use to compute gasses and mixes for allowable dive times and depths.

After a half hour of explaining what each application did, I pretty much knew I wasn’t going to make my flight.

The agent shut down my laptop and left me to sit in a room for about 10 mins. Two of them came back and informed me that until I had an FBI clearance completed I would not be allowed in the US.

I have no criminal record at all. I have been working around the world and have security clearances in 5 countries.

I was then finger printed and my photo taken and then shown to the door.

By: M.

M. — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 04:50:28 +0000

It’s good to see Gigaom.com writing on this. My laptop was searched, and actually detained for further study, several weeks ago when I landed in SFO. Since I had nothing to hide, they did return it to me a couple of weeks later, but nonetheless, it should not have been done.

By: Allan Leinwand

Allan Leinwand — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 03:49:42 +0000

Darren – that’s a great idea. Unfortunately, since the government is monitoring the Internet they have already seen your comment (only half-kidding).

By: Darren

Darren — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:30:32 +0000

Classic. Maybe I’ll start keeping my important files on USB sticks tucked away in my 3oz carry-on liquid bottles. They never search those…

By: Allan Leinwand

Allan Leinwand — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:07:32 +0000

Marl – I agree with you, but we’re here in this reality today. The privacy advocate in me is shuddering….

By: Marl Balou

Marl Balou — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 23:39:45 +0000

As a US citizen, I have traveled extensively to countries in all continents and right now arriving and entering the US is the most burdensome – the lines are long, many airports are dilapidated and the demeanor of the ICE/CBP agents is not very welcoming. The default posture is to treat everyone like a potential terrorist or criminal. It is one thing to search your suitcase that has physical goods but it is another to search thru your laptop/iPOD/Digital Camera – this is akin to rummaging thru your thoughts & memories (I have a hard time believing that this would be legal under the 4th amendment – but that is for the courts to decide).

By: Teymur Madjdrey

Teymur Madjdrey — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 23:19:36 +0000

Very frigtening. Not that I have anything to hide, but this is going a step to far. I for sure wont be travelling to the US anymore for now. Lets see what happens. And I wanted to do a nice trip around Cali this year. :-/

By: Allan Leinwand

Allan Leinwand — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 22:46:29 +0000

@Matt_: Yes - I was thinking that we all might be moving to Citrix and hosted desktops to avoid this issue.

@Peter: Orwell being 25 years off might seem like a rounding error in a decade of so....

By: Peter Childs

Peter Childs — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 21:58:44 +0000

Every day it seem that we are giving up more and more of our privacy in the name of protecting our freedom.

Orwell missed the date but not the direction.

By: Matt_

Matt_ — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 21:23:55 +0000

I can see more companies and users using hosted services and small terminal type computers like the Asus EEE .

I store alot of My data including music on hosted services like MP3Tunes and Google Apps .

Ive heard of people forwarding encrypted Hard drives via FED-EX to their destination before they travel on a plane