http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/ Engadget Comments for Laptops can be confiscated and searched at US border without cause says report http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/Aug 1st 2008 11:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/
straight to the KGB]]>Aug 1st 2008 11:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/Aug 1st 2008 11:19AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/
Oreilly Pwns You!]]>Aug 1st 2008 11:36AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/
Buy an Eee PC and store all of your dirt in it (you'll probably need a 500GB travel drive).

#1 Never use it with your home wifi or the wifi of any place you frequently go to. Instead, find a place where wiwi is insecure and go there, use it and then dissapear into the night.

#2 This laptop is special. Its a throwaway. If you ever feel the feds are onto you, keep a bottle of gasoline nearby and a lighter. SET IT ON FIRE. Most feds come unprepared to put out a gas fire and you will ensure the machine is destroyed which means no evidence is recoverable.

You'll get hit with arson charges (rather than child porn or computer crimes) and you simply plead insanity and you get to go to a mental institution and be evaluated. You'll be out in a few months if you promise never to burn things again.

#3 You've got to hide it in unlikely spots. Get a cereal box for instance. A technology warrant allows police to take all the electric items from your house but dissalows non-related items. Even if they found it in a box of cereal it would be inadmissible in court.]]>Aug 1st 2008 11:46AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/
Doing this at a state border is pretty commie. An international border is a whole different thing.

I fully expect a sovereign nation to do stuff like this, as annoying as it is, with anything crossing their borders.]]>Aug 1st 2008 11:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/Hopefully when you take that trip to a foreign country (inc. Canada or Mexico) that you won't experience this. Because I'm sure the first thing you will yell out when being questioned is, "I have rights! You can't do this to me." Meanwhile your fellow citizens will laugh inside while they rip apart your devices looking for something they know is not there but they detained you anyway because a "look" you gave or some other shallow reason because these folks get bored on the job. Good luck with that.
]]>Aug 1st 2008 12:11PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/Aug 1st 2008 1:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/Aug 1st 2008 1:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/Aug 1st 2008 1:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/Aug 1st 2008 1:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/the Power of Christ Compels you ]]>Aug 1st 2008 1:59PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/Aug 1st 2008 2:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/
don't forget the "essential".

"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."

It's an important distinction.

However, this border law is horrible, and since it can be done without cause, is both baseless and overstepping, even more so to its own citizens, but also to others. ]]>Aug 1st 2008 2:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/
It's much ado about nothing, really. We all know that they can look through our bags, so you don't bring drugs on a plane. Same thing here, you know that they are going to be looking at your laptop, so don't bring your kiddie porn with you.

And before everyone shouts that I'm a commie or fascist (whichever is the term for right-wing people these days), I'll repeat - THE FOURTH AMENDMENT HAS NEVER APPLIED AT BORDER OR AIRPORTS. EVER. IN OUR ENTIRE HISTORY. SINCE IT WAS WRITTEN.

Thanks!]]>Aug 1st 2008 3:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/


One of the first lessons I was told when taking a trip out of the U.S. is that the constitution does not travel with you.

Ignore that lesson at your own risk.]]>Aug 1st 2008 4:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/Aug 1st 2008 6:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/
What if I carried a $100 bill with his face on it? The irony...]]>Aug 2nd 2008 5:36AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.internetevolution.com/author.asp?section_id=515&doc_id=139841&f_src=flffour - and all of us know - the US government isn't very fond of taking responsibility for poor security.]]>Aug 4th 2008 12:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/


]]>Aug 1st 2008 11:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/Aug 1st 2008 11:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/Aug 1st 2008 11:29AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/Aug 1st 2008 11:44AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/
bye guys]]>Aug 1st 2008 11:47AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/
He means freedom has gone from free to free-ish. In other words, less free..]]>Aug 1st 2008 11:56AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/Aug 1st 2008 1:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/Aug 1st 2008 3:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/free*]]>Aug 1st 2008 4:59PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/Aug 2nd 2008 4:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/Aug 1st 2008 11:08AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/Aug 1st 2008 11:19AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/
Native Americans.... yep.

Blacks were slaves..... yep.]]>Aug 1st 2008 11:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/Aug 1st 2008 11:44AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/
How many innocent Iraqis do we have to kill, how many Afghani wedding parties do we have to bomb, how many random muslims do we need to detain and torture before people realize we *are* in the process of trying to indiscriminantly exterminate a religion?

We kill that which we do not understand. That is what Hitler did.]]>Aug 1st 2008 11:44AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/Germany did not just become a fascist regime over night, it was a long drawn out process.
What is happening in the USA and other parts of the Western world show scarly similarities between what happened in early 20th century Germany and now. ]]>Aug 1st 2008 11:56AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/
The US is not perfect by any means, but seriously look at every other country in the world and then start to bitch some more, okay?]]>Aug 1st 2008 11:57AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/Aug 1st 2008 12:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/
Religious discrimination:

Laws prohibiting Atheists from holding office? Yep. In some states.
Laws prohibiting Wiccan's rights in school and the Army? Yep. It happens.

Laws against sexual orientation? Yep. In many states.

Unlawful Search and Seizure:
(Which should not be allowed by the Fourth Amendment)

Unchecked ability to wiretap and use the telephone companies to spy? Yep. Just passed.

Ability to confiscate laptops at the border without cause? Yep. Looks like it.

I suppose all these civil rights are expendable "in the short term" for security? Well, that's what many people in the government say.

I wouldn't say the US is Nazi Germany or sheep. Take a look at a lot of the governments such as China's as well as their civil rights. That doesn't mean we don't have some improving to do.]]>Aug 1st 2008 12:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/Aug 1st 2008 12:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/
How do you think they got here as slaves? Maybe, I dunno, the settlers from Europe who brought them here to use as free labor in the New World?

@Jeff

Hitler didn't kill what he didn't understand; he found a weak group that would be easy to attack and rallied his people against this brand new enemy in a time that the country was limping along after a lost war, which ultimately unified them.

If people have such a problem with America, then leave, or do something about it instead of griping on an internet forum. Like, I don't know... Go to school and learn something.]]>Aug 1st 2008 12:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/ Exterminate Christians, Protesters, truth activist, yep We are real close to a martial law. Not even an election you might have, Bush executive orders national emergency. You guys don't even know, but Bush already declared National Emergency see : http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=71714 , it is now what he wants it to be. http://www.topix.com/forum/topstories/TNCBJT4DODABQP0EF Yo ae right, its not like that yet but I see it in a couple months]]>Aug 1st 2008 12:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law ).]]>Aug 1st 2008 12:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://thinkprogress.org/2008/07/30/olbermann-white-house-sent-me-talking-points-too-i-still-have-them/
*He build concenration camps, in America its called FEMA CAMPS!!! http://www.sianews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1062
* I'm from Brazil but first i am a citizen of EARTH, and I worr about America because the ar they fight influence the whole earth with its stuppid wepons uranium etc...

SAVE THE US CONSTITUTION AND RESTORE THE REPUBLIC!!!
]]>Aug 1st 2008 12:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/Aug 1st 2008 1:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/
Comparing the United States to non-democratic/republic countries is like comparing apples and oranges. Try comparing the US to other longstanding, stable democracies and see where we line up.

health care : 37
financial deficit: last (out of 188 countries not just democracies)
well-being of children (according to UNICEF): 20 out of 21 (just above the UK)
literacy : tied for 18th (just above Tonga)
infant mortality rate : 79 out of 222

It may seem like I'm just "America Bashing" but ignoring serious problems, and blindly stating that "there's no better place to live" will lead to our decline.]]>Aug 1st 2008 1:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/Aug 1st 2008 1:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/Aug 1st 2008 1:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/
When did the US start a war on Islam? Unless you are talking about people who are terrorists and happen to perverse the religion of Islam...

@Operation Northwood

I don't even understand what you are trying to say. There is nothing wrong with Islam and unfortunately because there have been terrorists that happen to use Islam as a driving force behind their attacks, and there has been proof of mosques in the United States funding terrorism through the exploitation of non-profits, that there is an increased scrutiny against Muslim-Americans and those who are foreign nationals living in the US with a Muslim background.

@Leandro...

FEMA camps were voluntary camps (trailer parks) created for those who couldn't leave because they did not have enough money to pack up their things and go. No one is REQUIRED TO STAY THERE, you idiot. Maybe you should talk about the rampant poverty in Brazil before you decide to start bashing the United States...

At the chosen extreme poverty line, Brazil has a poverty headcount ratio (poverty rate) of 22.6%. This means 34.9 million Brazilians live in households with a per capita income below the poverty line. Using the higher poverty line of R$132, the poverty rate would be 45.3% equivalent to 69.9 million Brazilians.

The United States has a poverty rate currently of 15.4%...]]>Aug 1st 2008 1:53PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/
]]>Aug 1st 2008 2:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/01/laptops-can-be-confiscated-and-searched-at-us-border-without-cau/
Which would be somewhat of a _tiny_ point if the newly established country, the U.S.A., had freed all forced-labor slaves after winning its war of independence. That didn't exactly happen, though... did it?

Way to avoid my argument about the genocide of the native peoples, too. Good stuff.]]>Aug 1st 2008 2:01PM