PhilAnders Posted June 7, 2006 Report Share Posted June 7, 2006 Customs Official: "Why was the 'why is the Banana dancing' thread moved to the Board Bar?" me: "how the fark should I know? Seems like General Discussion to me." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddha Posted June 7, 2006 Report Share Posted June 7, 2006 as far as the US is concerned: Point one: They can tell you to input your password. I couldn't find this stated in the govt sources, but found many instances on legal sites that state a laptop password is similar to a lock on a suitcase. They can with hold the computer if you resist. You could issue the officer a non-disclosure statement, and/or ask to be escorted to a private room to protect 'priviledged' info. 19 USC 1305 is entitled "Immoral articles; importation prohibited". You might wish to read it. It specifically bans the importation of any "article which is obscene or immoral". This even includes advertisements of foreign lotteries for some reason. Note the use of the disjunctive: "obscene OR immoral." While obscene has a legal definition, immoral does not. The types of images that are prohibited are ones that depict bestiality and/or child pornography. People don't realize just how complicated import laws are. They have an entire title (19) of the US Code. Statute is at http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scrip...tle=19&sec=1305 A quick search turned up two Supreme Court cases, both finding 19 USC 1305 to be Constitutional. See US v 12-200 ft. Reels of Film (413 U.S. 123) from 1973 US v Thirty-seven Photographs (402 U.S. 363) from 1971. These were both obscenity cases. I didn't turn up challenges to the other provisions in my cursory search. Web links for those without access to a legal library: http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scrip...us/413/123.html http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scrip...us/402/363.html for the super lazy here is the straight quote: "All persons are prohibited from importing into the United States from any foreign country any book, pamphlet, paper, writing, advertisement, circular, print, picture, or drawing containing any matter advocating or urging treason or insurrection against the United States, or forcible resistance to any law of the United States, or containing any threat to take the life of or inflict bodily harm upon any person in the United States, or any obscene book, pamphlet, paper, writing, advertisement, circular, print, picture, drawing, or other representation, figure, or image on or of paper or other material, or any cast, instrument, or other article which is obscene or immoral, or any drug or medicine or any article whatever for causing unlawful abortion, or any lottery ticket, or any printed paper that may be used as a lottery ticket, or any advertisement of any lottery. No such articles whether imported separately or contained in packages with other goods entitled to entry, shall be admitted to entry; and all such articles and, unless it appears to the satisfaction of the appropriate customs officer that the obscene or other prohibited articles contained in the package were inclosed therein without the knowledge or consent of the importer, owner, agent, or consignee, the entire contents of the package in which such articles are contained, shall be subject to seizure and forfeiture as hereinafter provided. . ." Simple solutions exist to prevent them from finding anything. I have nothing to hide so I will not source these solutions. I also have a mac and they are not trained on searching on a mac or unix based computers. I saw several references to this. the banana dances right through customs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 Phil: security is trying to keep a bomb or other weapon off the plane, as you said, by proving it is a computer. (though I wonder if someone really wanted to, they could easily replace a battery (make it smaller) take out some of the inside works-- in order to smuggle a bomb/weapon good point, kind of makes the whole process of turning on the computer to prove it is a computer a joke. lots of way to substute smaller device(S) in a laptop case and fill the space with whatever they want. somehow, it reminds me of the security at local sand diego airport right after 9/11 had reserve military ppl with m-16 and no ammo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddha Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 pasathai said:somehow, it reminds me of the security at local sand diego airport right after 9/11 had reserve military ppl with m-16 and no ammo Unfortunately the added hassles haven't really made it that hard for someone to do damage. I guess it mollifies the masses, and clearly that is the intent 'see, things have changed'. I should also note that there are references online of people who have their mobile phone contents screened upon arrival to the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilAnders Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 pasathai said:Phil: security is trying to keep a bomb or other weapon off the plane, as you said, by proving it is a computer. (though I wonder if someone really wanted to, they could easily replace a battery (make it smaller) take out some of the inside works-- in order to smuggle a bomb/weapon good point, kind of makes the whole process of turning on the computer to prove it is a computer a joke. lots of way to substute smaller device(S) in a laptop case and fill the space with whatever they want. somehow, it reminds me of the security at local sand diego airport right after 9/11 had reserve military ppl with m-16 and no ammo they do x ray it anyway, so hopefully a bomb or other weapon would be discovored. once they had me take my lap top over to another machine, the security man wiped a piece of paper around the computer, and put the paper into a bomb sniffer. all clear, that took about 3 minutes. In other airports I've seen the security staff do this with checked luggage as well. since one must carry their own baggage to the security machine rather than hand it directly to airline staff for checking in, what they do is often in plain sight, rather than behind the scenes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCgringo Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 I often get the "sniff" test at LAX Bradley terminal , I actually like it because they do not go thru my stuff which is packed so things do not break OC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangkoktraveler Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 Custms can do just about anything they want to. They have almost, if no restrictions in what they can do which is scary. If you do not want to give up your password, they can probably escalate matters to the next level, which I don't think anybody wants t go there. I think the problem is that many believe an illusion as to what their rights are........ and that it is what your rights are, just a plain simple illusion. As for Old Hippie, change your avatar, maybe that will help. Didn't you know, all hippies, young and old get searched. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadaBing Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 OCgringo said:I often get the "sniff" test at LAX Bradley terminal , I actually like it because they do not go thru my stuff which is packed so things do not break OC HaHa , leave it to U.S. Customs to cum up with their own version of the " Sniff Kiss " Bada Bing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Munchmaster Posted June 9, 2006 Report Share Posted June 9, 2006 The US of A is one fucked up place. They don't trust anyone else and they don't trust their own people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 9, 2006 Report Share Posted June 9, 2006 The US of A is one fucked up place. They don't trust anyone else and they don't trust their own people. like most places , law enforcment will make criminals out of anyone if they get a chance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.