quote:
Originally posted by CookieRevised
fyi, and to the others who think something like this is BS....
People who travel to the USA and who bring their laptop, or other electronic devices which can hold information (eg: photo cameras, cell phones, mp3 players, etc) can have their devices searched for any 'illegal' or 'terrorist' information.
This fact is not widely known by travelers, but USA boarder customs already do have that right and do have the right to temporary keep your devices for further study without search warrants or probable cause! And there are even already douzens of cases where people did not have their device returned.
And although there is some outcry against it, and eventhough they have had some lawsuits against this practice, the TSA and customs officials have never been convicted because of this.
And yep, Val, if they think you're a treat to national security or they have the slightest reason to believe you are holding back info or are carrying illegal info, they can stop you from traveling and/or arrest you. They are not going to uphold a plane, they simply stop you from boarding it, simple as that.
This is already so since a few years.
That's true, and all. The USA border's custom can check your car, and if they find pirtated DVDs, they give you a HUGE fine (around 9,000 per DVD, it was on the news), and you lose your visa...