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Why am I searched every time I go to Australia?

caseyhandmer.wordpress.com

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Re: Why am I searched every time I go to Australia?

#11

Post by rolph »

reverendsteveii wrote: post #8
rolph wrote: post #5

i read the article, and i really think the combination of stated specialties, with dual-citizenship, sides up to a profile of concern. -- thats not to say there should be concern. there are stereptypical profiles that ask the question, what is this person capable of doing? rather than, what does this person intend to do? and thats the problem, its difficult to titrate intent, but capability is easy to asess

but if it's based on capability solely than each of us can be reasonably suspected of prostitution, to provide an illustrative if somewhat crude example

yes exactly, but do you fit the profile of a prostitute? or the profile of a booze cruise tourist?

Re: Why am I searched every time I go to Australia?

#12

Post by darkhorn »

I started to read the article. Then I thought "may be he is working with cryptography and that is why he is searched". And a sentence or two later he writes "Advanced Mathematics" and then "GPS". I think that is why he is being searched.

Similarly the developer of curl was not able to obtain USA visa.

Re: Why am I searched every time I go to Australia?

#13

Post by LargoLasskhyfv »

eesmith wrote: post #6
xvokcarts wrote: post #3

Because you're a dual citizen.

That alone cannot be it: "According to the ABF website, the MAL is for non-citizens. According to a 2013 audit, there were only 172 Australian citizens on the list at that time. What accords me this rare honour, I do not know." There are far more than 172 Australian dual nationals.

He's referring to the number of people(with dual australian/whichever citizenship) being on the 'Movement Alert List', meaning being on the shitlist of the ABF.

Re: Why am I searched every time I go to Australia?

#15

Post by verzali »

A couple of reasons spring to mind. The obvious one would be this is a person engaged in work that gives access to restricted materials and who also appears to frequently travel to countries like Russia and China, at least from what they have written on the rest of their website. That alone might warrant suspicion of espionage or simple carelessness in handling restricted data. They also seem to be very active in online spaces and possibly they have been skirting close to the line of what they have shared, and thus triggered an alert. It wouldn't be the first time I've been aware of people thinking they are sharing harmless things that in reality are restricted. Of course there are darker possibilities here, and a guilty person presumably wouldn't admit to them in a blog.

Australia is also a member of the Five Eyes. It is not impossible that someone in the US asked Australia to add him to their list.

Re: Why am I searched every time I go to Australia?

#16

Post by trollied »

eesmith wrote: post #7
trollied wrote: post #4

The author does not state how he knows he is on the MAL. It’s an important part of the story. If he doesn’t actually know, it’s more than possible it is random.

"I engaged Marque Lawyers to formalize the documentation trail and establish a formal record of governmental non-responsiveness. ... FOIA process ... What did we discover in the documents that were finally released? I am on the Movement Alert List and according to this documentation, none of the searches discovered anything of interest to the ABF."

I read the whole thing and missed that. Thank you for the correction.

Re: Why am I searched every time I go to Australia?

#17

Post by eesmith »

LargoLasskhyfv wrote: post #13
eesmith wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That alone cannot be it: "According to the ABF website, the MAL is for non-citizens. According to a 2013 audit, there were only 172 Australian citizens on the list at that time. What accords me this rare honour, I do not know." There are far more than 172 Australian dual nationals.

He's referring to the number of people(with dual australian/whichever citizenship) being on the 'Movement Alert List', meaning being on the shitlist of the ABF.

I understood that's what Handmer means. I pointed out he can't be on the list simply "Because [he's] a dual citizen", as almost no dual citizens are on the list.
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