Canadian Charged for Not Unlocking Smartphone at Canadian Border • Hacker News Board

Re: Canadian Charged for Not Unlocking Smartphone at Canadian Border

#221

Post by allendoerfer » Fri, Mar 06, 2015, 3:50 PM UTC

thedufer wrote: post #186

allendoerfer wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Alright, lets do this. Wiki says you are pedantic and wrong while I am only pedantic. > The Americas, or America , also known as the New World, are the combined continental landmasses of North America and South America … http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americas I love how strong you all feel about this. Just relax. I am from Deutschland, but most people on the world call it either by a too general term Germania - and no…

Wikipedia is a great resource in general, but it fails in places. For example, none of the 3 sources cited for that usage of America agree with that. One points out that America (singular) can mean any of N America, S America, or the USA (but not both N and S America). The second doesn't refer to America singular at all, instead clarifying usage of "American". The third gives us some historical context - America was…

Germany is the biggest Germanic country (population-wise) but the Dutch and others are Germanians, too. Much like the US is the biggest American country, but Canadians are Americans, too. It would be weird to use the word "Germane" in German for Germans, because we would picture some wild guys fighting Romans. For the same reason, you do not call the French Gallian or the Italian Roman.

I indeed said "American" and at least cited some sort of source instead of claiming that you are "95%" wrong, but lets keep it with this. I mentioned the German-story anecdotally. Nobody really cares. Names are just words, you can just relax, when its clear, what the word was intended to say.

I promise to add a "North" the next time and hope, that I will not get chased by angry Mexicans.

Re: Canadian Charged for Not Unlocking Smartphone at Canadian Border

#222

Post by pakled_engineer » Fri, Mar 06, 2015, 4:58 PM UTC

ajeet_dhaliwal wrote: post #220

pakled_engineer wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Canadians also rejected the UK style totalitarian blanket surveillance and internet filters so not sure what 'freedoms' they are missing out on compared to the UK. All those same kinds of gov interference and regulations in airspace and dairy exist in the UK too, and every other country. Border guards demanding your phone will likely happen in every country soon if not already. They take mine at US border and France.…

Of course regulations exist in every country but it's the extent to which they limit competition resulting in poor service and high prices that affects Canada particularly badly. For example, tv/internet services Rogers/Bell provide are abysmal compared to the likes of Sky and they charge many times more too. Same with cellular plans. Really though we're getting side tracked, I do not think border guards demanding yo…

Some countries (China/Israel) they disappear with the phone likely to load it full of nation state spyware I would never trust that device again even after flashing a new application OS.

Re: Canadian Charged for Not Unlocking Smartphone at Canadian Border

#223

Post by Canada » Fri, Mar 06, 2015, 5:38 PM UTC

cpncrunch wrote: post #218

Canada wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a very important difference between inspecting the goods and searching your person and papers. (These details matter. Note your comment about random searches at airports. Did you mean borders, or airports?) Try reading the entire Act. I did, and found some interesting stuff in there. Then go watch "Border Security". When a Canadian enters Canada it's acceptable for the government to say, "Show me all of your…

Actually, according to the Act they can do those searches (without a warrant) if they have reasonable suspicion. These aren't random searches -- they do them if they have a suspicion that the person is doing something illegal after talking to them. I agree with your other points.

There's nothing wrong with acting on reasonable suspicion. The problem is customs has a policy of exceeding their lawful authority in questioning travellers. I don't have any obligation to answer questions such as, "What do you do for work?" or "Do you have any friends in Paris?". Yet these questions are routinely asked, and refusing to answer them will result in punishment.

That's what happened in this case. Customs demanded irrelevant information in order to go fishing, the returning Canadian declined, as is his right to do, and is being punished for it.

Take a look at the Nexus program. It asks travelers to waive their rights voluntary in exchange for being permitted to avoid being coerced into waiving them at each crossing. If more people were aware of the rules and pushed back there would be no need for such programs.

Re: Canadian Charged for Not Unlocking Smartphone at Canadian Border

#224

Post by dghughes » Sat, Mar 07, 2015, 4:25 AM UTC

This gives me an idea for an app to make for mobile phones.

Leave the phone off or turn it off before you get to the airport Security line then when you turn it on the app auto-starts which makes the phone slowly boot.

Then when the phone does finally boot it shows a fake screen showing "Installing update 1 of 44" and make it so it never ends.

My password is my index finger I should change it to my middle finger, my password is written down and really complex I'd never be able to remember it without seeing it.