No one should have to travel in fear • Hacker News Board

Re: No one should have to travel in fear

#31

Post by DanFeldman » Tue, Apr 02, 2019, 8:53 PM UTC

komali2 wrote: post #23

Dunno what to do about this. I think TSA is a sham and a waste of my money. I think border control is taking my money and using it to abuse people. I don't think it's ok that I can pay to avoid the poor people line at the airport. I've written my reps and the president, I call about once a month, but it has no measurable effect. Smarter people than me have done audits on TSA and published them in famous newspapers to…

For what its worth, SFO does not use the TSA [0]. The posted article does not mention the TSA at all, only Border Patrol and Customs agents. I've had terrible TSA experiences at other airports, but never a problem with the security at SFO.

[0] https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/artic...

Re: No one should have to travel in fear

#32

Post by zachr » Tue, Apr 02, 2019, 8:54 PM UTC

Rafuino wrote: post #20

Going on a trip in the short term and just got a phone with facial recognition unlock. I think it's important to turn this feature off before returning to the US as it could easily be misused in this exact situation.

On an iPhone, you can tap the power button five times consecutively to disable biometric access. However, I think the only way to do this on a MacBook with TouchID is turning it off.

Re: No one should have to travel in fear

#33

Post by _bxg1 » Tue, Apr 02, 2019, 8:55 PM UTC

Border Patrol has become the KGB. Hopefully this will reach a boiling point soon and they'll harass someone important enough to get the gears actually moving toward ending this madness.

Re: No one should have to travel in fear

#34

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Apr 02, 2019, 8:57 PM UTC

cobbzilla wrote: post #5

It's horrible but the case-law seems fairly well settled; various courts have ruled that lots of searches that would otherwise violate the 4th Amendment are totally permissible for CBP agents within 100 miles of the border and at customs checkpoints within international airports. I'd love to be surprised if there is a legitimate case here.

[deleted]

Re: No one should have to travel in fear

#35

Post by rajbot » Tue, Apr 02, 2019, 8:58 PM UTC

> The agents proceeded to search my belongings and demanded that I unlock my smartphone and laptop. This was rather concerning for me. My phone and laptop are property of my employer and contain unreleased software and proprietary information. I’ve signed a non-disclosure agreement promising not to give anyone access.

His employer is Apple. I was always worried about this same scenario when traveling with an Apple-owned laptop..

Re: No one should have to travel in fear

#36

Post by mchristen » Tue, Apr 02, 2019, 8:58 PM UTC

geofft wrote: post #21

jbhatab wrote: post #3

Fantastic that he posted his experience, but it sounded like a pretty standard experience with authorities for many Americans. Genuinely curious why this is news compared to what happens to many other people?

As a Global Entry holder myself I expect that because the government has done a background check on me, has my fingerprints, etc., it generally understands that (despite my Indian skin, unshaved stubble, and vote for Hillary) I am not a threat. I have voluntarily subjected myself the government conducting a background check and holding files / information on me in exchange for less hassle. So part of it is that it's…

I'm an American and I have been detained and searched by CBP without actually ever leaving the country. They didn't ask my name, just that we needed to get out of the car while they let their dog search the car.

Re: No one should have to travel in fear

#37

Post by _bxg1 » Tue, Apr 02, 2019, 8:59 PM UTC

Every time an article like this pops up (seems like a couple times a month now), I'm validated in my decision to donate monthly to the ACLU. They're always mentioned as fighting this stuff on the front lines.

Re: No one should have to travel in fear

#38

Post by throwawaystale » Tue, Apr 02, 2019, 8:59 PM UTC

He's saying he was targeted because he's known to disapprove of the Trump administration? Please. If anything, it was considerably worse prior to 2016.

A better question would be why someone technically knowledgeable would be carrying a laptop through airline security at all. As soon as it's out of your hands, you have to assume it's been blown, security-wise. Far better to just buy a burner Chromebook at your destination.

Re: No one should have to travel in fear

#39

Post by JustSomeNobody » Tue, Apr 02, 2019, 9:02 PM UTC

rajbot wrote: post #35

> The agents proceeded to search my belongings and demanded that I unlock my smartphone and laptop. This was rather concerning for me. My phone and laptop are property of my employer and contain unreleased software and proprietary information. I’ve signed a non-disclosure agreement promising not to give anyone access. His employer is Apple. I was always worried about this same scenario when traveling with an Apple-ow…

Maybe keep the card of Apple's lawyers on your person. If you're in a situation like this, have them call the number. Or clarify Apple's policy on this before traveling.

Re: No one should have to travel in fear

#40

Post by jacquesm » Tue, Apr 02, 2019, 9:02 PM UTC

_bxg1 wrote: post #37

Every time an article like this pops up (seems like a couple times a month now), I'm validated in my decision to donate monthly to the ACLU. They're always mentioned as fighting this stuff on the front lines.

Every time an article like this pops up I am validated in my decision to no longer travel to the United States.