Canadian journalist's detention at US border raises press freedom alarms

Re:Canadian journalist's detention at US border raises press... by patmcc on Friday December 02, 2016 @07:24PM (#13093456)

I don't think they'd ever make the argument that the content itself is dangerous - but it may give them more information about you, and let them decide that you are dangerous.

At an extreme - if you had a document plan_to_takedown_flight_123ABC.pdf or diary_about_my_drug_smuggling_operation.txt, whether or not the data itself is a threat, it could indicate that you are.

I mean, I think it's bullshit, the same way I think most security screening and border guard questioning is bullshit, but if you wanted to maximize your border security (and keep out, ahem, "undesirables") and don't care about people's privacy, it's perfectly logical.

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Re:Canadian journalist's detention at US border raises press... by grandimass on Friday December 02, 2016 @08:26PM (#13093691)

> if you wanted to maximize your border security... it's perfectly logical

If your threat model is that someone capable enough to take down a flight is dumb enough to keep "plan_to_takedown_flight_123ABC.pdf" on their laptop, then it's logical. Otherwise you're wasting resources and _minimizing_ your security.

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Re:Canadian journalist's detention at US border raises press... by wheelerwj on Friday December 02, 2016 @09:40PM (#13093970)

yea, it's a nice attempt to justify your actions, but when drug smuggling and gun running is conducted by federal agencies and the TSA fails 95% of bomb detection tests, you have to wonder what the actual goal is.

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Re:Canadian journalist's detention at US border raises press... by mrlyc on Saturday December 03, 2016 @03:33AM (#13094984)

I see the actual goal as showing the populace who is in charge as well as getting them used to searches and interrogation. Combined with the newly militarized police, it decreases the probability of another revolution.

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Re:Canadian journalist's detention at US border raises press... by 91bananas on Saturday December 03, 2016 @07:03AM (#13095381)

Tin foil hat and all, I actually agree

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Re:Canadian journalist's detention at US border raises press... by thatcat on Friday December 02, 2016 @07:29PM (#13093476)

I would hate to be a fiction writer crossing boarders.

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Re:Canadian journalist's detention at US border raises press... by labster on Friday December 02, 2016 @11:03PM (#13094231)

Most boarders are pirates, so I wouldn't want to cross them either.

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Re:Canadian journalist's detention at US border raises press... by disposablezero on Friday December 02, 2016 @11:52PM (#13094375)

Nawh, they're just a few days late on rent.

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