[7542] in cryptography@c2.net mail archive
Re: UK searching traveler's disk drives for pornography (fwd)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Ian BROWN)
Sun Jul 23 12:31:47 2000
To: John Kelsey <kelsey.j@ix.netcom.com>
Cc: cryptography@c2.net
In-reply-to: Your message of "Fri, 21 Jul 2000 22:51:18 CDT." <4.1.20000721225006.00958ee0@email.plnet.net>
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Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2000 10:59:56 +0100
Message-ID: <4852.964346396@cs.ucl.ac.uk>
From: Ian BROWN <I.Brown@cs.ucl.ac.uk>
>Wasn't there a story very much like this, a year or two ago, that turned
>out to be a hoax?
Not that I have heard about. Ken Cukier's original story was confirmed by a UK
Customs spokesperson: http://www.sightings.com/political/laptops.htm
'A spokesman for Customs and Excise said officials would routinely
scan laptops for illegal material such as pornography. Encrypted files
will be treated in the same way as a ordinary luggage. "So far as we
are concerned, there is no difference between an encrypted file and a
locked suitcase," said the spokesman. "All travellers entering the
country should be prepared to have their equipment scanned."'
>I suspect the Customs people could get away with all
>kinds of nonsense, but is there any independent documentation that they
>really are getting away with it right now?
I haven't heard anything further since Ken's report, but it may just be
they've avoided journalists more effectively since then ;)
Ian :)
