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Returning from vacation? The government can search your phone without a warrant

411 points · 378 comments · rbanffy

  1. Tangurena2 · · focus · HN ↗
    > “In [Fiscal Year] 2025, out of the over 419 million travelers CBP processed at ports of entry, CBP only searched the electronic devices of 55,318 international travelers,” the agency wrote, or 0.0013%.

    The harassment is targeted at critics & opponents of the current regime. The message is very clear: Be afraid of us. Be very afraid

    There are 33 days remaining until election day. Vote out all the incumbents.

    1. petcat · · focus · HN ↗
      I will be curious to see statistics from past years. I'm wondering if this is a new thing. I'm pretty sure US customs and border patrol have always had this power. I think basically every country exercises this power
      1. Lendal · · focus · HN ↗
        "It has always been this way, this is normal" is the typical first response to tyranny. It puts you on their side, which is fine if that's where you want to be. Just be aware of it. If you think it's wrong, you definitely don't want to be taking the side of "it's normal," because whether or not it's normal is irrelevant when your government is doing immoral and tyrannical behavior in your name.
        1. mc32 · · focus · HN ↗
          Sure but that means November will have no impact on what CPB does. It’s always happened and will continue to happen just like stock trading with insider information by congress members will continue to happen regardless of November results. The vote came up and it was voted down and I don’t see that changing. I don’t see the spying on citizens changing. The NSA spied on Congress and they did nothing about it.

          It’s disingenuous to imply that November will have an effect on either of those topics.

          1. gilrain · · focus · HN ↗
            Actually and very obviously, what's happening now is new and worse.
            1. sixothree · · focus · HN ↗
              Enough alarm bells are ringing to suggest that this is not normal. The persecution of political enemies isn't even a veiled threat, they are spoken outright in public.
              1. mc32 · · focus · HN ↗
                Right like the ~400 subpoenas on Republican lawmakers by Jack S with the tenuous linkage to the Jan riot. You might have reason to subpoena 10 or even 30 lawmakers who may have had some linkage but going after ~400 seems dubious.
                1. amanaplanacanal · · focus · HN ↗
                  Subpoenas are an investigating tool. It's part of gathering the data. I think you may be confused. It's not in any way a punishment.

                  Do you think at that point he had it out for Republicans in general? Republican congressmen were appalled by what happened on Jan 6th, and it was only because they thought Trump would just go away that he wasn't convicted in the Senate.

                  Trying to frame that investigation as some sort of political witch hunt is ridiculous.

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