more on search experience on "border"

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Robert Pennoyer <rob () robpennoyer com>
Date: August 3, 2006 11:55:13 AM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Subject: RE: [IP] more on search experience on "border"

"Given that this list is growing and not shrinking based upon public  
outcry,"

I haven't heard much public outcry about the growing list of  
prohibited behavior.  Academics and journalists--incidentally, two  
groups that travel a lot and are accustomed to writing essays and  
articles for publication--complain about laptop inspections,  
absurdist implementation of the no-fly list, and the ineffectiveness  
of TSA programs in general, but the public at large doesn't seem to  
care.

When the public does care, there is outcry, and the policies  
eventually change.  Case in point is last year's decision by the TSA  
to relax restrictions on small scissors and nail clippers and the like.

This paradox of public opinion is disquieting not only because it  
leads to acceptance of greater government intrusion into our pivate  
lives, but also because it is not making us safer, as frequent  
reports of lapses and failures at various checkpoints point out

Rob

________________________________

From: David Farber [mailto:dave () farber net]
Sent: Thu 8/3/2006 08:44
To: ip () v2 listbox com
Subject: [IP] more on search experience on "border"





Begin forwarded message:

From: Tom Fairlie <tfairlie () frontiernet net>
Date: August 3, 2006 8:24:14 AM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Cc: lauren () vortex com, travis () redswoosh net
Subject: Re: [IP] more on search experience on "border"

> And to what end?

We know that the Bush administration has long tried to
earn points with religious fundamentalists. We also know
that this same administration operates incompetently the
majority of the time (both objective facts). Thus, creating
a speed bump at our borders to keep out evil porn would
be a good example of a policy that fits both MOs--it's
appealing to prudes and ineffective/costly at the same time.

We also know that the Bush administration has accelerated
our descent into fascism. This isn't hyperbole; anyone who
studies such things would at least admit that this is a
debatable assertion. The stopping of good travelers at our
borders for a little personal interrogation, while not effective
at stopping anything, is a marvelous form of thought control
(e.g., "Let's remember to not bring anything with us that
might be considered offensive to our government." begets
"Let's not say anything offensive to our government." begets
"My government knows best.")

I think the real answer is somewhere in the middle. As we've
all discussed, the TSA has been largely ineffective and they
aren't free. However, they have also now done a long list of
things that, for better or worse, have forced millions of
Americans to think twice before performing many different
innocuous actions before traveling. Given that this list is growing
and not shrinking based upon public outcry, I gather that my
second option above is either part of the plan or just a happy
coincidence.

Tom Fairlie


----- Original Message -----
From: "David Farber" <dave () farber net>
To: <ip () v2 listbox com>
Sent: Monday, July 31, 2006 11:25 AM
Subject: [IP] more on search experience on "border"




Begin forwarded message:

From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com>
Date: July 31, 2006 12:21:00 PM EDT
To: travis () redswoosh net
Cc: dave () farber net, lauren () vortex com
Subject: Re: [IP] search experience on "border"


> From: Travis Kalanick <travis () redswoosh net>
...
> While operating my laptop he said that we was tasked with preventing
> illegal pornographic material from entering the United States
...
> He returned my laptop after this warrantless search saying I was free

Dave,

And to what end -- other than going through the motions -- is such
a search?

Given a quick check, the border agent would be unlikely to find a
cache of porn photos that was compressed and archived in a single
encrypted file named C:\WINDOWS\$NtUninstallKB911567 or some other
obscure name -- not a single JPG porn file to be found in a file
scan.

Perhaps what's really going on in such border cases is some sort of
"amateur test" -- since any pro who wanted to bring porn (or any
other data) into the U.S. on a laptop would never leave the data in
an easily discovered form.  But then again, why bother using the
laptop?  How about putting an innocuous looking file on that cute
keychain memory dongle?  Or on an iPod?  Porn could be easily rigged
to look like an mp3 file, that could even play properly.  Or why not
use some spare cell phone memory area?  Or how about that 2 Gig
memory stick in the camera, or a miniSD memory card inserted
into an electric razor or the binding of a book?

To quote the wonderful episode "OBIT" from the original '60s
television series "The Outer Limits": "The machines are everywhere!"
Anyone with half a brain who wants to bring data into the U.S. can
do so without meaningful detection, short of a full body cavity
strip search and prolonged forensic analysis -- and even then the
true nature of any data might well be undiscovered.

All of the rest is for show, and perhaps to cull the low hanging fruit.

--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein
lauren () vortex com or lauren () pfir org
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
http://www.pfir.org/lauren
Co-Founder, PFIR
     - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
Co-Founder, IOIC
     - International Open Internet Coalition - http://www.ioic.net
Moderator, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
DayThink: http://daythink.vortex.com




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