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ACTA will force border searches of laptops, smartphones for pirated content

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Re: ACTA will force border searches of laptops, smartphones for pirated content

#121

Post by mbreese »

While I appreciate the concern over ACTA, this is a wikipedia article.

The particular section cites: a) a Vancouver Sun article from 2008; b) a blog post from 2009; c) a Globe and Mail article from 2008; and d) a Washington Post article from 2008. All of these are somewhat speculative. It also cites a Customs and Border Patrol policy paper which affirms that customs has the right to search people as they enter the country.

Also part of the wikipedia entry is a quote from a European Commission fact sheet that directly counters the notion that ACTA will lead to the wide-spread searching of iPods of consumers.

If you want to argue that something is draconian and will force (not merely allow) searches, then at least come up with something more substantial than wikipedia.

Re: ACTA will force border searches of laptops, smartphones for pirated content

#122

Post by mbreese »

pwg wrote: post #87
danenania wrote: post #65

What strikes me most strongly about all this is how utterly weird it is. Border guards give 'enhanced pat downs' to a middle class suburban family and find no weapons or contraband, but then open the family computer to find an unlicensed Finding Nemo avi, and haul them all off to jail. It's just such a bizarre mix of nanny-state and fascism. I know it's a pointless rhetorical question, but... how on earth has it come…

> how on earth has it come to this?? First they came for the communists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak out because I was Protestant. Then they came for me and there was n…

Do you realize how many people will find it offensive that you are using this quote to compare a treaty to the holocaust? There is a big difference between a treaty which may infringe on civil liberties and killing people based on their beliefs or ethnicity.

It's okay to make slippery slope arguments, but let's not get into Godwin territory.

Re: ACTA will force border searches of laptops, smartphones for pirated content

#123

Post by Zancarius »

raphman wrote: post #81
raphman wrote: post #35

EFF on countermeasures: 'Defending Privacy at the U.S. Border: A Guide for Travelers Carrying Digital Devices' (December 2011) https://www.eff.org/document/defending-privacy-us-border-gui...

Oh, what a coincidence ;) http://news.ycombinator.org/item?id=3496475

Haha! That is a strange coincidence indeed but not altogether surprising given the subject matter. It's possible someone read your post and submitted it.

Just to clarify, raphman did post his link before it was submitted as a story should anyone be wondering once this moves out of the resolution of a day.

  raphman 7 hours ago
  [link]

  Defending Privacy at the U.S. Border...
  144 points by llambda 5 hours ago

Re: ACTA will force border searches of laptops, smartphones for pirated content

#124

Post by mbreese »

runjake wrote: post #105

To me, the following passage from the link demonstrates the dire situation in the US: In July 2008, the United States Department of Homeland Security disclosed that its border search policies allow U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents to conduct random searches of electronic devices for "information concerning terrorism, narcotics smuggling, and other national security matters; alien admissibility; contraband in…

Two things:

1) Feingold can't introduce anything anymore, since he is no longer a Senator. (This tells you how long it has been since this section of the wikipedia article has been edited).

2) Even for US citizens, there is no right for people to bring whatever they want into the country. Once you leave the country, you lose 4th amendment protections. So, if you don't want to be searched, don't bring anything with you. It has nothing to do with the Constitution since the Constitution stops at the border.

Re: ACTA will force border searches of laptops, smartphones for pirated content

#125

Post by ojilles »

Apreche wrote: post #59

Never store anything important on a laptop hard drive, ever. Erase all hard discs with dban before going through customs. Upload to a safe place before you leave, download when you get back.

And your mobile. And... And...

Re: ACTA will force border searches of laptops, smartphones for pirated content

#126

Post by eternalban »

lunarscape wrote: post #94
eternalban wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> USA is behind it Prove it. Isn't it about time Europeans started to take responsibility for their ("democratic") governments? Why did your government sign the dotted line? If answer is "US made us", then news flash: You do not live in a democracy. If you insist you Europeans have your act together (where as we boobs in US don't) then clearly it is your own government that is behind it. ACTA: http://trade.ec.europa.…

>Prove it Thanks to Wikileaks and other sources we do have evidence of long running pressure and threats by the US to influence or in some cases directly write other countries laws in respect to copyright. One recent example about piracy: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/05/us-pressure...

Is it (remotely) possible that the Guardian has an agenda (gasp) to misdirect its global readers?

Spain? What about the European powers? Does that mean UK (nuclear power), France (nuclear power), Germany (fine ~occupied, but still a major economic power), are broken democracies subject to "threats" from, and cowering before, United States of America? (Poodles, one and all?)

America is the scape goat of the /Global/ oligarchy. My opinion, of course. You may wish to continue to trust in The Guardian (of Truth).

Re: ACTA will force border searches of laptops, smartphones for pirated content

#127

Post by CamperBob »

mrdingle wrote: post #101
ivanbernat wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my opinion this is exactly like SOPA, a corporation-sponsored bill. Why would any government care if you "pirate" a movie? There is no tax on cinemas, but you pay an tax + extra fees if you're buying blank CD/DVDs -- because they presume you're going to write ("burn") illegal content.

Put copyright aside for a sec and lets try to actually frame it in the case of child porn or drug trafficking. How can any legislator conclude that disrupting the public like this is acceptable after having a reasonable discussion about how easy it would be for criminals to circumvent? The hugely ironic part of all of this is that laws like this don't make moving data harder for criminals. It just forces them to use…

Put copyright aside for a sec and lets try to actually frame it in the case of child porn or drug trafficking. How can any legislator conclude that disrupting the public like this is acceptable after having a reasonable discussion about how easy it would be for criminals to circumvent?

Did you see the excerpts from the SOPA hearings? The legislators can conclude that this degree of disruption is acceptable because they are morons.

Re: ACTA will force border searches of laptops, smartphones for pirated content

#128

Post by mbreese »

danenania wrote: post #65

What strikes me most strongly about all this is how utterly weird it is. Border guards give 'enhanced pat downs' to a middle class suburban family and find no weapons or contraband, but then open the family computer to find an unlicensed Finding Nemo avi, and haul them all off to jail. It's just such a bizarre mix of nanny-state and fascism. I know it's a pointless rhetorical question, but... how on earth has it come…

how on earth has it come to this??

Why do you believe that it has come to this? Has this happened to someone? Or are you just believing what is on wikipedia?

Re: ACTA will force border searches of laptops, smartphones for pirated content

#129

Post by gasull »

derleth wrote: post #116
danenania wrote: post #65

What strikes me most strongly about all this is how utterly weird it is. Border guards give 'enhanced pat downs' to a middle class suburban family and find no weapons or contraband, but then open the family computer to find an unlicensed Finding Nemo avi, and haul them all off to jail. It's just such a bizarre mix of nanny-state and fascism. I know it's a pointless rhetorical question, but... how on earth has it come…

> fascism How this this fascism in particular and not, say, Communism?

In Communism (Stalinism), all the enterprises are owned by the Government.

In Fascism the Government is owned by (some of) the corporations.

Re: ACTA will force border searches of laptops, smartphones for pirated content

#130

Post by archgoon »

mbreese wrote: post #122
pwg wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> how on earth has it come to this?? First they came for the communists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak out because I was Protestant. Then they came for me and there was n…

Do you realize how many people will find it offensive that you are using this quote to compare a treaty to the holocaust? There is a big difference between a treaty which may infringe on civil liberties and killing people based on their beliefs or ethnicity. It's okay to make slippery slope arguments, but let's not get into Godwin territory.

I think it would be sad if Niemoller's point, that one must speak up for the rights of others, or no one will speak up for yours, was decided to be inapplicable in all situations, since his experience involved Nazis.
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