DHS Introduces Rules for Airport Laptop Checks

[schneidereit]

[citation][nom]Razor512[/nom]then we will just have to boycott the airlines and border checks, use portal guns to get where we need to go [/citation]

thank you so so much for making my day! 😀

 

[cablechewer]

The advice from the lawyers at my company goes something like this: Always cooperate with border officials, but leave all corporate data on a share in your office and carry none of it across the US border. If you are selected for a search cooperate fully, provide passwords, etc. and report the search/seizure to both corporate security and your legal rep. as quickly as possible. They specifically advise against employing encryption, hidden partitions and other measures to frustrate a search. I suggest you ask your own personal and/or corporate lawyers to see what they have to say.


Now I am not a lawyer, but if I go back and forth across the US border I intend to follow the guidance provided by my company (yes sometimes I am a good little sheep). I also make sure I never store personal data on my computer in case it is ever compromised by a virus or hack.


In a conversation (i.e. No lawyers involved) several people put forward the opinion that the US border is a kind of no-mans land. The protection of the US Constitution is not in force until you are actually allowed to pass through the border checkpoint. I do not know if this is legally correct, but I assume it is and try to prepare accordingly.

 

[Guest]

cablechewer: I take it you're one of millions of "field agents" that our taxpayer dollars pay for? Encryption is a good idea for many reasons, period, regardless of whether the TSA is searching or not.

Besides, you can't "prove" that a Truecrypt volumes is even a truecrypt volume until you crack it, it is a file full of random crypto-bits with no file headers. Windows will do it's best to give law enforement any necessary tips, but not Linux. Windows/NTFS + EFS and Bitlocker encryption give law enforcement backdoors and forensics trails, but not nearly as much with Linux/EXT3 and Truecrypt

 

[Guest]

TSA = THOUSANDS STANDING AROUND

 

[NocturnalOne]

Only use encryption if you have something to protect. Don't try to hide something when you're coming into the US. I've used TrueCrypt to protect my personal data from crooks for a long time. Mostly to make it harder for malware to grab sensitive data although that can't be prevented entirely because as soon as you mount the encrypted volume it's there for every process to see.

Anyway, my advice is to leave illegal/questionable data off your system when you travel. Don't create empty TC volumes just to piss off the eggheads at TSA and whoever else. It'll just put you on the list of people to watch and that won't benefit you at all. Encrypt your personal/sensitive data so that if you loose it Joe-Shmoe hacker is unlikely to crack it and get access. If asked by law enforcement personnel, decrypt your volumes and show them the harmless content, if needed explain why things were encrypted. Not to keep *them* out but the criminals.

Lot of tough talk here but I don't think you'll be so brave once they stick you in a small windowless room and question you for a few hours. I also don't think that thumbing your nose at the TSA is worth the hassle of being delayed at every future flight. Every time they swipe your passport they'll see a note that you're trouble. Who needs that?

If you are truly concerned about how to behave in cases where your property is subject to search, retain a lawyer and get real advise. If you travel for your company, get corporate legal to advise you. If you're a script kiddie with virus code, illegal downloads and pron, stay home.

 

[steiner666]

Sure, its easy enough to copy your data to a remote source and then download it once you're through checks. The frustration doesn't come from this being impossible to circumvent, but from the frustration of having to go through these extra steps for no good reason. What are they expecting to find? A power-point presentation outlining the next Taliban attack?

I think the biggest concern all this brings about, at least in my mind, is "how are they going to infringe on our rights next?".

 

[Guest]

That plainly SUCKS man!!!
They should at least provide replacement laptops for the mean time!

When you take your laptop with you on holidays, it obviously means that you might need it somewhere!
What if they take it with themselves, for a 30 days search, and you're only visiting the country for 14 days?

What if your work info is on there?

Really, if you want to check HD content, just plug in the device to an external HD, clone it, let a dog sniff your laptop for drugs, and in 3 hours get it back!

That way by the time you arrive at your destination, they can check your laptop's info, and you can enjoy your trip!

Another senseless rule made by the Obama nation, the Abomination of nations.
America should not have a statute of Liberty anymore. It's probably the first target for attack! Instead replace it with a statue of lawbooks, that pile upto 152ft the size of the statue itself!
America, 2009! The land of the bound!

 

[TheBorg]

That does it. If at all possible, I will try not to ever travel to the US of A, or at least until this kind of checks is discontinued.

 

[ToughMan69]

Are these rules still intact ?

 

[SAL-e]

[citation][nom]ToughMan69[/nom]Are these rules still intact ?[/citation]
Yes, they are. Not only that but the copyright police is pushing for new law that will allow custom to search your devices for 'illegal' copies of music and movies. Oh by the way the rules about this are negotiated behind close doors in secret. http://www.eff.org/issues/acta

 

[ToughMan69]

Yes. But the question remains - how can they prove whether something is illegal or not? How can travelers bring receipts for every single mp3/movie/apps they ever bought ? That sounds ridiculous at least...

 

[SAL-e]

[citation][nom]ToughMan69[/nom]Yes. But the question remains - how can they prove whether something is illegal or not? How can travelers bring receipts for every single mp3/movie/apps they ever bought ? That sounds ridiculous at least...[/citation]
Yes, It is ridiculous. The only answer from the office of US Trade Representative I heard so far is: "Just trust us. It is for your own good."