Quote:
Originally Posted by acidzebra
True... and I am sure there are currently free encryption tools available which (when properly used) cannot be broken by any government out there any time soon 
In addition, programs like truecrypt offer you two levels of plausible deniability, in case an adversary forces you to reveal the password:
1) Hidden volume (steganography) and hidden operating system.
2) No TrueCrypt volume can be identified (volumes cannot be distinguished from random data).
In other words, it will be very difficult to prove you have encrypted data on there at all (again, if properly deployed. I can't stress this enough). This is well beyond the level of sophistication of border guards and deep into NSA territory.
On a related note, I still don't understand that people don't encrypt all their data and email traffic out of habit and general principles - because we can discuss interesting crypto but the fact remains the US government has no right to inspect my private data and communications, nor does anyone else.
I also don't understand that US citizens accept this kind of big brother behavior by their government. Land of the free, indeed. |
Now, hold on .... customs agents have been searching luggage at borders for a long long time. They do it in nearly every country I have been to ... and I've been to a bunch of them.
They don't need a warrant to search your luggage ... they search it because they are allowed to conduct such searches at the border to prevent illegal materials and goods from entering the country. This is true of every country. They are entitled to protect their borders.
All this has done is bring border searches into the computer age. Just as they don't confiscate your luggage when you enter the country ... they "search it" ... they are not confiscating your digital media or documents when you enter a country ... they are searching it.
It will likely get about the same level of search as most people's luggage does ... which is not all that stringent a search, but enough to find the kilo of cocaine stuck in the pockets of the backpack, or the brick of uncut heroin strapped to some mule's thigh.
Now, if you are one of those types who tries to smuggle illegal drugs, firearms, or plans for a dirty bomb into the country, then I suppose you have every right to be upset. But the simple truth is that this is a logical move on the part of border agents who now have to deal with a lot of illegal materials that come streaming into the country.
A lot of it comes in through the internet, and I doubt that they can do much about that ... but if they can stop some of the terrorists or pedophiles from operating, I don't have a problem with it. But then, I don't travel with a ton of pirated material, kiddie porn, or plans to blow up people and things.