basically yes but it doesn’t say they can search the whole vehicle now dose it?…I’m sure there are still plenty places to hide a small laptop and flash drives about the interior…like duck tape it under the seats at the back of the dash board etc… Or maybe have the lap top sent to your new location in it’s original packaging and have someone pick it up at the post office before you go on you’re travels… think about about it they essentially have the right to confiscated any electronics with storage capacity and keep it until you get back to the states and god knows what they do with you personnel information when they find it…very shady!

The fact that this information has been publicised is probably to make people aware that this procedure exists in the first place (Probably more of a scare tactic. Obviously US customs aren’t going to have the time or the staff to search every laptop or iPod that comes across it’s borders but it wants you to think that maybe it does). More and more citizens of the world are made to believe that privacy is a bad thing…. that anyone wanting privacy must be up to no good. Ultimately all that will happen is that the real criminal element will go further and further underground and all that will be left are the decent citizens who maybe fracture a minor law or two in their lifetimes and are criminalised for it. Let’s face it imagining for a second that you are a terrorist travelling abroad are you really going to take your evil plans with you on your laptop (Encrypted or not)?

Most of the pressure on Intellectual Property issues (Where I figure that quite a bit of this is directed) stems not directly from the government but from pressure exerted from the Content providers themselves. Now we’re not talking about small time artists or independent filmakers who incidently have benefitted immensely from Internet distribution but large scale commercial organizations who want their content marketed in certain ways to protect their profits and satisfy their shareholders. They employ huge pressure groups (RIAA MPAA BPI IFPI etc. etc.) who in turn lean on the governments to protect their assets. Look up the recent events with UK ISPs to see where I am coming from.

@wapazoid The concept of “Freedom” in the US consists of some basic fundamentals: Freedom of expression opinion speech and movement. Are you saying that you have too much of that? Maybe you need some more new laws?

I’d consider myself a reformist other than democratic or republican. Does that answer your question? As for the fundamentals where do lines get drawn… particularly in this day and age? Personally I’m not against random searches through digital media. How different is it than going through your wife’s underwear at the airport? Yes it’s an inconvenience for most but I believe the act does more good than harm. I don’t think Osama is going to turn the US & UK into a staging ground for the sci-fi NWO. But I feel we need many new laws that some would scream at the top of their lungs about. For example:

Should protestors have the right to disrupt commerce in city streets waiving foreign flags?
Should single mothers or families on welfare be allowed to have as many children as they wish?
Should illegal immigrants be allowed amnesty?
Should bilingual lessons be taught in public schools?
Should minors that commit gang-related murder be omitted from adult sentencing including the death penalty?

So far I’ve answered “no” to all of these. Does that make me a racist fascist or dare I say Nazi? I’m sure some would say “absolutely”.

wapazoid -”The problem with this country is that we have TOO many freedoms. We’re the most free in the world. We’re a nation of spoiled brats run by spoiled brats. Don’t like it? Leave. You’ll be back in six months. In the mean time let’s all continue to download pirated material at our heart’s content.”
To Many freedoms is a problem. Wow. I hope you are part of a small group that think that way. I think may be you should leave if having to many freedoms is a problem for you. But I guess the way things are going you will have your way. And when it does and you are sitting in jail because of an illegal search of you home and computer for all your pirated material. You can pat yourself on the back for a job well done.