Re: U.S. Agents Seize Travelers' Devices

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

________________________________________
From: Brock N. Meeks [bmeeks () cox net]
Sent: Friday, February 08, 2008 12:45 PM
To: David Farber
Subject: Re: [IP] U.S. Agents Seize Travelers' Devices

The TSA has it's own blog; no I'm not joking.  And neither are the folks at
TSA.  The site is taking all manner of comment, cranky, cryptic or
complimentary.  Only "destructive" will not be posted, says TSA head Skip
Hawley.

To TSA's credit, a flood of complaints about a pilot program (in which ALL
electronics had to be removed while going through security, just like
laptops have to be removed and separated now).  TSA recorded dozens of
complaints, re-evaluated the program and killed it.

That's a positive sign, however small: the TSA being responsive?  I'm just
saying...

The, from today's blog posting, comes the following, hung off the Washington
Post story about confiscating laptops and being forced to provide passwords.

TSA says, "Not us..."  read on.

http://www.tsa.gov/blog/2008/02/rumor-alert-laptops.html

 RUMOR ALERT! LAPTOPS

We have received several questions, comments and links to other blogs about
a Washington Post article on confiscating laptops and other electronic
devices at airports.

As the article correctly states, this is a customs issue and not one TSA is
involved in.

TSA does not and will not confiscate laptops or other electronic devices at
our checkpoints. Our officers¹ are solely focused on the safety of the
traveling public and are looking for explosives and other prohibited items.
Should one of our officers find something suspicious, we will immediately
contact local law enforcement and potentially the local bomb squad. We will
not ask for any password, access to any files or take the laptop from you
for longer than it takes to determine if it contains a threat.

Should anyone at a TSA checkpoint attempt to confiscate your laptop or gain
your passwords or other information, please ask to see a supervisor or
screening manager immediately.


Christopher
TSA Evolution Blog Team



On 2/8/08 1:54 AM, "David Farber" <dave () farber net> wrote:
________________________________________
> From: Sashikumar N [sashikumar.n () gmail com]
> Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2008 1:46 PM
> To: David Farber
> Subject: U.S. Agents Seize Travelers' Devices
>
> Dear Prof Dave,
> Happen to read this link from slashdot, this is a disturbing news, a
> direct assault on privacy...shocking that this could be real.
>
> regards
> sashi
>
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/06/AR200802060476
> 3.html
> Clarity Sought on Electronics Searches
> U.S. Agents Seize Travelers' Devices
>
> By Ellen Nakashima
> Washington Post Staff Writer
> Thursday, February 7, 2008; Page A01
>
> Nabila Mango, a therapist and a U.S. citizen who has lived in the
> country since 1965, had just flown in from Jordan last December when,
> she said, she was detained at customs and her cellphone was taken from
> her purse. Her daughter, waiting outside San Francisco International
> Airport, tried repeatedly to call her during the hour and a half she
> was questioned. But after her phone was returned, Mango saw that
> records of her daughter's calls had been erased.
[snip]


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