T&T: Confiscating laptops

[C. Marin Faure]

 >I'm wondering if list members are actually experiencing equipment  
seizure, or massive copying of data from boat devices?..... What say  
the list?

It's common in this increasingly polarized and paranoid country for  
everyone to assume the worst about this sort of thing.  So the image  
people have is of Customs and Immigrations folks at the border  
crossings and POEs just itching to get their hands on your laptop,  
mobile phone, and iPod.  Just like everyone assumed that the DHS  
would be swooping down on every citizen demanding to see their  
library card so they could check library records to see what books  
they were reading, or listening in on every soccer mom's "HE said,  
and then SHE said, and then HE said" conversation.  When in fact none  
of this ever happens.  DHS, the FBI, the CIA, the NSA, and the SPCA  
could give a rat's ass about what's on your or my laptop.  They  
aren't interested in what's in your iTunes library or looking at the  
photos you took on your last cruise.

What they ARE interested in seeing is if there is incriminating  
evidence on the laptop, phone, etc of someone suspected of or under  
investigation for being involved in terrorism, drug or people  
smuggling, etc .  Back in Elliot Ness's day they could examine your  
bank statements and look at your phone records, and so far as I'm  
aware the country didn't get its knickers in a twist about that.   
Technology has come a long way since then and with almost everything  
being done electronically now, it makes no sense not to give the  
folks charged with upholding the law the ability to gather the  
evidence they need to uphold it.  If someone stole your identity and  
emptied your savings account and then headed for Canada or Mexico  
it'd be kind of nice if the folks at the border, who may have notice  
of this person's record of doing this sort of thing, could snag their  
laptop, fire it up, check out the financial files, and lo and behold  
there's all the account information he stole, including yours.

A lot of people in the boating club we belong to have taken trips  
into Canada in the last couple of years.  I have not heard one  
account where entry into Canada or back into the US has been anything  
other than routine.  But then none of the people in our club are  
involved (so far as I know) in smuggling drugs, laundering money,  
trading in illegal aliens, or transporting improvised explosive devices.

If you're involved in some sort of illegal activity then, yeah, it's  
a bummer they can take your laptop and look at the files.  If you're  
not then it's almost certain that nobody is gonna give a hoot in hell  
about your laptop, your phone, or your library card.

____________________
C. Marin Faure
GB36-403 "La Perouse"
Bellingham, Washington