Re: POLITICS: econmic disaster and gov't surveilance like we've never known before

[Guest guest]

On Thu, Jul 24, 2008 at 10:57 AM, Suze Fisher <suzefisher@...> wrote:

>

>

> Just when you were wondering how much worse things can get...

Indeed....

________

This news from Bruce Schneier (Schneier on Security), regarding laptop

seizures at borders:

http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2008/08/us_government_p.html

" The U.S. government has published its policy: they can take your

laptop anywhere they want, for as long as they want, and share the

information with anyone they want " He quotes the WaPo report:

Federal agents may take a traveler's laptop or other electronic device

to an off-site location for an unspecified period of time without any

suspicion of wrongdoing, as part of border search policies the

Department of Homeland Security recently disclosed. Also, officials

may share copies of the laptop's contents with other agencies and

private entities for language translation, data decryption, or other

reasons, according to the policies, dated July 16 and issued by two

DHS agencies, US Customs and Border Protection and US Immigration and

Customs Enforcement.

....DHS officials said that the newly disclosed policies -- which apply

to anyone entering the country, including US citizens -- are

reasonable and necessary to prevent terrorism.

....The policies cover 'any device capable of storing information in

digital or analog form,' including hard drives, flash drives, cell

phones, iPods, pagers, beepers, and video and audio tapes. They also

cover 'all papers and other written documentation,' including books,

pamphlets and 'written materials commonly referred to as " pocket

trash... "

_______

To anyone who thinks this is about fighting terrorism -- or that this

is " reasonable and necessary " -- I have a great deal in Yukon real

estate for you. Any terrorist with two brain cells will send the

information electronically. This is about unrestrained state snooping,

plain and simple.

I just bought an old used laptop which will become my " travel " laptop.

Not that there's any valuable data on my " good " laptop; it's just too

special a machine to lose to a bunch of federal thugs.

http://www.wendymcelroy.com/news.php?extend.1788

________

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Forget about the ones who don't.

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