dirtpoorchris

Should the government be able to have 100% access to all your info from your laptop? Or is that just like searching in a bag?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/26/wa...utsOtcXLVtCZJw

__________________

Leave it to US. To make the sun rise in the West. And fall on the East.

Arcana XV

I don't think they should be allowed to search anyone's laptop without a warrant. Opening someone's luggage and finding a whole bunch of illegal stuff in it is one thing. Depending on what these illegal items are, they could present a clear and immediate danger to the population. But what could possibly be stored on a laptop that couldn't wait for a warrant?

__________________
"Yes, but are you a Protestant atheist or a Catholic atheist?".- Northern Irish joke

bub

That's crazy.

Here, even a police officier or a public prosecutor who find a mail at the house of a suspect can not open it, they need a mandate from a judge, and under very strict conditions (must be absolutely necessary to violate the private life of the guy)

Seems it's different abroad

__________________
===|:-)

Goldenboy219

I was under the impression that cyber criminals were being watched or at least set off bells flags and whistles when they enter the country.

None the less, searching the citizenry in the fashion mentioned is against the law of the land...

__________________
"An elective despotism was not the government we fought for" Thomas Jefferson

Simon W. Moon

As a citizen I would really like to see a cost benefit analysis of these sorts if invasive policies.

How much "safety" are we really getting from them? I suspect that the added benefit is minimal and far outweighed by the intrusion.
Bu somehow, there's never much presented other than the argument that we should be afraid of what MIGHT happen if we don't shut up and submit.

eff the govt ftw

__________________
"That is the problem... [we] fell in love with the idea that politicians-- even the slickest and brightest presidential candidates-- were real heroes and truly exciting people. That is wrong on its face. They are mainly dull people with corrupt instincts and criminal children. -H.S.T"

rathi

Hiding sensitive data in a laptop in a manner that they couldn't find it in their search is so trivial its pathetic. Anyone who takes even the most minimal of precautions will never have their data found. This will only work to harass people who actually don't have anything to hide.

__________________
He'd be right at home on some ancient battlefield, swinging an axe into somebody's face.

Simon W. Moon

furthermore, its trivial to retrieve the data from another computer via the internet. carry a cleanlaptop across and get info later.

so super simple im not sure what the point of this is. except maybe to make us "fell safer"

Diogenes

Why is that different from searching your luggage?

Simon W. Moon

Why is it different than searching your mail?

The default position is not that the govt has the right to do such things. Rather it is that the govt must justify doing such things.

If they want to run lapotops through anexplosives detector, thats just fine. If they want to have drug dogs sniff laptops, thats also fine.

bub

I'm surprised that you don't defend your private life more. There is no justification in searching the laptops of everybody, just as there is no justification in randomly doing pocket searches or ID-checks in the streets.