Pocket Protectors
cross-posted at the ACLU's Blog of Rights
Previously we’ve discussed the push to search under travellers’ clothes with the naked machine and the million names on the terrorist watch list. The latest Civil Discourse comic examines DHS’s need to literally put their hands in your pockets.
The Washington Post reported last month:
Federal agents may take a traveler’s laptop computer or other electronic device to an off-site location for an unspecified period of time without any suspicion of wrongdoing, as part of border search policies the Department of Homeland Security recently disclosed.
DHS doesn’t stop with your MacBook. The policies extend to, well, everything. They claim they can seize “any device capable of storing information in digital or analog form” along with “all papers and other written documentation.” Yes, that antique pendulum clock you’re lugging around qualifies as a analog device and may be searched. (ticking time bomb?)
Just in case you thought of something that could slip through those categories, they included “written materials commonly referred to as ‘pocket trash’ or ‘pocket litter.’”
They defined it twice just to be sure they cover everything under the sun.
1 Comments:
I remember in high school taking a field trip to the courthouse. I knew we would be going through metal detectors, so I put a spoon in my sock just to fuck with them. They were sure surprised when I pulled that spoon out, and I just pretended to have forgotten I left it there. It wasn't much later when I realized that I could have been mistaken for a junky because of that spoon.
Point being, I guess, fill your pockets with spoons and such.
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