DHS approves suspicionless seizure of electronic devices
DHS has set up a "fourth amendment-free zone" that stretches 100 miles from the border into the U.S., which allows authorities to seize your electronics without needing a warrant or probable cause.
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The Department of Homeland Security’s civil rights watchdog has concluded that travelers along the nation’s borders may have their electronics seized and the contents of those devices examined for any reason whatsoever — all in the name of national security.
The DHS, which secures the nation’s border, in 2009 announced that it would conduct a “Civil Liberties Impact Assessment” of its suspicionless search-and-seizure policy pertaining to electronic devices “within 120 days.” More than three years later, the DHS office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties published a two-page executive summary of its findings.
“We also conclude that imposing a requirement that officers have reasonable suspicion in order to conduct a border search of an electronic device would be operationally harmful without concomitant civil rights/civil liberties benefits,” the executive summary said.
So how exactly does this affect people who live within those 100 miles? For instance can anyone in San Diego have their computer and phone taken away on a whim? And more importantly, if they can freely set up one "amendment-free zone", what's to stop them from setting up more wherever they want?
-edit- and it may not only be the Canadian and Mexican borders, it could also affect coastal borders.
Which nations out there have a firm grasp of the rule of law anymore? Chile? Peru? Honduras' free trade zones were shot down by internal politics, I believe.
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Originally Posted by C.S. Lewis
Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.
What is this supposed to do? Data can be sent anywhere, so smuggling it across borders physically is not an issue. . . maybe they want to get phone numbers of drug dealers?
What is this supposed to do? Data can be sent anywhere, so smuggling it across borders physically is not an issue. . . maybe they want to get phone numbers of drug dealers?
A lot of dealers swap SIM cards and it's a way to try and track them down more. It's not something I agree with by any means in doing in the United States the way that they are.
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Originally Posted by Johan
Valve hasn't stripped anyone of anything.
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Originally Posted by lockwoodx
Steam has always been 100% voluntary. Origin.... not so much.
There's still an overwhelmingly large portion of the population that supports moves like this. Rand Paul should be a shoe in come 2016 after the onslaught of rights violations like this, but people prefer the feeling of safety to liberty, and I still fully expect another statist Dem to be elected.
When people complain about their liberties being stripped away and do nothing, they shouldn't complain. I'd start one but I don't have the technical know-how.
Which nations out there have a firm grasp of the rule of law anymore? Chile? Peru? Honduras' free trade zones were shot down by internal politics, I believe.
More to the point, why should you have to depend on the righteousness of a system that has power over you? Why not reject the idea that anyone can legitimately claim power over you and associate in society as true co-equals? That is what a libertarian society seeks to create.
When people complain about their liberties being stripped away and do nothing, they shouldn't complain. I'd start one but I don't have the technical know-how.
You don't have to. Call your state rep. Tell others by assbook. Works better than petitions.
