Be Careful if traveling with a laptop or camera...

[Bob Hubbard]

The nice people at the border and at the airport are allowed to take your gear and copy the contents of your hard drives if you make them "suspicious".

British paper warn readers to hide data before traveling to the US.

The Guardian advises its readers:

Taking your laptop into the US? Be sure to hide all your data first

Last month a US court ruled that border agents can search your laptop, or any other electronic device, (cameras?) when you're entering the country. They can take your computer and download its entire contents, or keep it for several days. Customs and Border Patrol has not published any rules regarding this practice, and I and others have written a letter to Congress urging it to investigate and regulate this practice.

But the US is not alone. British customs agents search laptops for pornography. And there are reports on the internet of this sort of thing happening at other borders, too. You might not like it, but it's a fact. So how do you protect yourself?

more at http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/may/15/computing.security

Large discussion here:
http://www.modelmayhem.com/po.php?thread_id=290630&page=7

An interesting experience:

...they'll take more than your laptop...!!!...

I was Vegas bound several weeks back to attend a weekend show there. when I fly I usually only take a carry-on, A LowePro Compurover backpack wich carries my camera gear, laptop, tripod, and a couple of days of clothes.

I was pulled aside by TSA because I was carrying (according to them) too many batteries (60AAs, prepacked), first they took my batteries and told me that I can only fly with what is needed by the electronics that I have in my bag with only one set of spares each. Now because this was going on during the Airlines going out of bussiness, my flight was cancelled and I had to wait to get another flight out by another airline, so I was set up in the first-class lounge where I got to watch pilots and thier crews drink up and pretend thier pirates, anyway (LoL) after 6 hours of waiting I got bored and went out to the standard seating facing the runways, I pulled out my camera to just go over it, play with the settings, etc...(I just recieved the camera a few days previous and I wanted to make sure I was familiar with all the controls)...

Next thing I know I was being escorted back to the TSA security office asking me why I was taking pictures of the planes on the runway, I told them I have'nt even fired a shot, they did'nt believe me and proceded to go through my gear... while one guy was going through my gear, another was going through my laptop and copying the hard-drive much to my discontent, and yet another was going through my camera. they found nothing, but wanted to know how to access the internal memory on my camera, I said it does;nt have one, it uses CF cards (Canon D40), they outright called me a liar and threatened to arrest me for suspicious terrorist activity, after 2 hours of this, another guy with a suit finally came in to talk to me who would not identify himself and questioned me on my actions with my camera, made copies of all my IDs, and once again threateneing me with arrest for terrorist activity and the asked If I was alone on the flight (I was, but I was meeting up with 5 other people in Vegas). Finally after 6 hours of this, I was being told that I was being released but they will be keeping my camera to check for hidden memory inside, they gave me a reciept of some sort and told me to leave and call them on the following monday to recieve my property (they let me go with my laptop, but did take the camera and all my CF media cards).

I called that monday to get my camera, no response, they don't know where it is, maybe at the FDLE office downtown.?...WTF...two weeks later I finally get my camera and media back, I go to test it out, and the shutter release now has a pause in it. I took the camera to get checked out, and the camera was disassembled but reassembled improperley and the internal computer was fried...(again...WTF). TSA refuses to pay for the damage, My trip was trashed thanks to not only the airlines but to TSA for taking my gear for the trip... anyway, I think I just vented...???... whew... Did I...???...

LoL...

 

[MA-Caver]

The nice people at the border and at the airport are allowed to take your gear and copy the contents of your hard drives if you make them "suspicious".

British paper warn readers to hide data before traveling to the US.

more at http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/may/15/computing.security

Large discussion here:
http://www.modelmayhem.com/po.php?thread_id=290630&page=7

An interesting experience:

Sounds like that guy should've watched the video of the gun taking in New Orleans after Katrina first before coming over here. Then he would've known that his gear would've been fubared by the time he got it back.

This is really getting out of hand here comrades.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Photographers are facing increased harassment and sometimes assault and illegal seizures at the hands of government agents and law enforcement officials. In a good number of those, it's done by well meaning but misinformed people, yet in a growing number of them, it's flat out illegal behavior.
Photographer’s rights are being violated daily. Read the horror stories here.


So, what are the TSA finding with all these search and seizures?
"The more numerous items were 1.4 million knives, more than a thousand guns and 15,666 clubs. And lots and lots of butane lighters and box cutters."

 

[tellner]

Thank you for posting this. Anyone who isn't outraged over what has happened to our precious freedoms over the last twenty years is stupid, sedated or not paying attention. The Republicans have led the charge to destroy our liberties, and the Democrats have cravenly gone along so as not to make the GOP unhappy.

Look at your choices for this Fall. Screw Party loyalty. There isn't any issue that's more important. If your Congressional or Senate candidate(s) supported the MCA, the Patriot Act, the Warner re-authorization or retroactive immunity for the telcos they are traitors to the most fundamental principles upon which this nation was founded.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Harassment of photographers has been going on for years, predating 9/11. Unfortunately, the excuse now is "security" or "terrorists" whenever it comes up.

When you goto the airport, you're ID'd a number of times, searched, your luggage riffled through, and anything of interest checked. Your only recourse is, not to fly (which I don't).

If the intent of all this so called "security" is to catch terrorists, I'd like to know, how many have actually been caught?

Going back to the original argument about your data being copied for a moment, the usual "solution" is "just encrypt everything." Doesn't work for 2 reasons.
1- The average person is clueless when it comes to such things and more importantly...
2- If its encrypted, you are required to surrender your passwords, keys and other decrypt information or you get to spend some time detained at best and stripped of your citizenship and sent over to Cuba or our "friends" in Syria for "extended questioning".


An argument was made "If they don't question you, how will they know you're innocent?" by someone from Australia, a nation that has little in the area of the civil rights guaranteed in the US Constitution to US citizens. In the US, you are "innocent until proven guilty".

Unless you want to fly that is.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Thank you for posting this. Anyone who isn't outraged over what has happened to our precious freedoms over the last twenty years is stupid, sedated or not paying attention. The Republicans have led the charge to destroy our liberties, and the Democrats have cravenly gone along so as not to make the GOP unhappy.

Look at your choices for this Fall. Screw Party loyalty. There isn't any issue that's more important. If your Congressional or Senate candidate(s) supported the MCA, the Patriot Act, the Warner re-authorization or retroactive immunity for the telcos they are traitors to the most fundamental principles upon which this nation was founded.

I agree with your last statement. Those members of the US Government who gave away our rights for the illusion of security are in my opinion, traitors. Those citizens who argue that it was all good, are the same. IMHO.


It costs less than a couple of bucks to set up a network of secure data drops, with single use passwords sent through free email services such as Hotmail. The only "terrorists" carrying bomb plans and attack diagrams on a laptop are really ****ing dumb, and in all likelihood a plant, intended to be caught, carrying false plans.

Seriously, which would cause more damage to us?
1- hijack a couple of planes and crash them into a few notable buildings again (ie sears tower)
2- smuggle classified information on laptops and pda
3- Suicide bombers in car bombs and truck bombs detonating at high noon at the unloading/loading points of major air hubs like Ohare and LAX while another suicide bomber goes off right in the lobby where all the nice TSA brown shirts are busy making senior citizens remove their shoes and moms toss out baby's formula?

Take out JFK, Ohare, LAX and RR and cripple US air travel for months! I know it, the terrorists know it, and if the Feds don't know it, then we're really ****ed.

 

[5-0 Kenpo]

Thank you for posting this. Anyone who isn't outraged over what has happened to our precious freedoms over the last twenty years is stupid, sedated or not paying attention. The Republicans have led the charge to destroy our liberties, and the Democrats have cravenly gone along so as not to make the GOP unhappy.

Look at your choices for this Fall. Screw Party loyalty. There isn't any issue that's more important. If your Congressional or Senate candidate(s) supported the MCA, the Patriot Act, the Warner re-authorization or retroactive immunity for the telcos they are traitors to the most fundamental principles upon which this nation was founded.

I don't have a problem with the last half of this statement. But the first half is balogna, if only because both parties have historically and fundamentally been eroding our rights. I don't know why you believe that it is the Republicans that have "led the charge". They are both equally guilty, each in their own way.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Here's an interesting fact.
If I go to Gettysburg National Park, and take a gazillion pictures with a consumer level point and shoot, I'll be seen as a tourist and left alone, unless I'm doing stupid ****.
If I go with a pro-level SLR camera, the park wants me to pay for a commercial shoot permit in order to take pictures. Why? Because I might be a business. (Which I am, but low end pro-sumer gear is pretty popular, and can be bought at Walimart even.)

Makes no sense.

If I go to my local airport, no where do I see any signs about not taking photos. (I looked last week when I was there), and in fact saw plenty of people snapping away near the inspection area and in the main lobby with camera phones and little point-n-shoots. Yet another local photographer was detained and warned a week prior. Why? Pro-Gear. National Security was of course cited, and laws mentioned though only in a vague "aren't you frightened of the boogy-boomer yet?" way. A little observation, a bit of proper recon, and any terrorist with a clue (and there are many) will just walk into Walimart and buy a cheap PS camera and take typical crappy tourist shots, with half of uncle kabooms head cut off, yet the nice guard all clear in the back ground.

Makes no sense.

 

[CanuckMA]

Airport security makes no sense, period.

I'm allowed 3 100ml containers. I'm allowed an empty bottle. So let's do the math. if a 500ml bottle can carry enough explosives to take down a plane, why can't 2 terrorists each carry 3 100ml bottles full of the stuff, and an empty 500ml bottle and mix it all after the TSA check?

Security checkpoints are just for show. I've walked through metal detectors with change in my pockets with no problems. I've walked through some where my zipper set it off.

 

[arnisador]

Airport security makes no sense, period.

My last flight (two weeks ago) involved some hassling from the TSA. They confiscated my under 2" utility keychain blade, and the metal in my knee brace caused a big hullaballo.

This isn't what I want from my govt.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Yup, zippers, baby bottles and knee braces are the big concerns now, as well as hasling old people.

Yet we've got guns going off in cockpits, and people still getting easy access to the flight areas without authorization.

Paper security and a cash cow for those running it.
We however are still as safe flying now as we were 9-10-2001.

 

[shesulsa]

When I flew mom up, she used a walker and you wouldn't beLIEVE the attention we received. Security tapped all along the walker to listen for hollowness, removed the feet and shone a flashlight in there, frisked her, frisked me, removed every item from our bags and we hadn't even set off all the screening equipment at LAX.

I did witness some very upset people having their laptops confiscated.

Blah.

 

[Ping898]

and if you complain your name gets put on some secret list that you can ever see or even verify that you are on that garuntees you will be hassled everytime you try to fly in the future...

 

[Empty Hands]

2- If its encrypted, you are required to surrender your passwords, keys and other decrypt information or you get to spend some time detained at best and stripped of your citizenship and sent over to Cuba or our "friends" in Syria for "extended questioning".

I don't have much to add to this thread, you've all done a yeoman's work here already on this appalling state of affairs. On this point though, there are encryption methods that give you plausible deniability. Truecrypt for one uses steganography to hide the fact that you even have encrypted data on a drive. It's even a free program!