Comments on: Arnold v. USA http://www.amitvaria.com/2008/05/15/arnold-v-usa/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=arnold-v-usa descent into randomness Fri, 17 Sep 2010 02:27:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4-alpha-19672 By: Mark Weiss http://www.amitvaria.com/2008/05/15/arnold-v-usa/comment-page-1/#comment-1135 Mark Weiss Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:09:14 +0000 http://wp.amitvaria.com/2008/05/15/arnold-v-usa/#comment-1135 <p>This border search accomplishes nothing but inconveniencing and even bankrupting small businessmen who’s daily livelihood depends on their laptop PC.<br /> The real terrorists will be using encrypted connections to funnel their information in and out of the <span class="caps">USA</span>. Anyone with a serious intent to do harm isn’t going to be naive enough to carry it in a laptop at a border crossing.</p> <p>This new policy smacks of <span class="caps">WWII</span> Soviet Russia. It is <span class="caps">NOT</span> what America was founded on. </p> <p>Not that it matters that we protect the country anymore, since the real America has long since been whittled away to this bastion of Collectivists and Marxists who form the basis of our education and governing systems.</p> This border search accomplishes nothing but inconveniencing and even bankrupting small businessmen who’s daily livelihood depends on their laptop PC.
The real terrorists will be using encrypted connections to funnel their information in and out of the USA. Anyone with a serious intent to do harm isn’t going to be naive enough to carry it in a laptop at a border crossing.

This new policy smacks of WWII Soviet Russia. It is NOT what America was founded on.

Not that it matters that we protect the country anymore, since the real America has long since been whittled away to this bastion of Collectivists and Marxists who form the basis of our education and governing systems.

]]> By: Alicson http://www.amitvaria.com/2008/05/15/arnold-v-usa/comment-page-1/#comment-172 Alicson Thu, 15 May 2008 23:16:41 +0000 http://wp.amitvaria.com/2008/05/15/arnold-v-usa/#comment-172 <p>Not exactly a briefcase though. While businessmen/women may carry personal journals, photos, etc. in their briefcase, briefcases are generally more work-centered in their personality, and general work-related or work-safe in their contents. A search of a hard drive is more like a search of someone’s entire home — personal photos, calendars, scrapbooks, diaries, old love letters, drafts of poems, odd drawings, kinky toys… </p> <p>If the harddrive is on a laptop that is provided by one’s workplace, for work use “only”, then it is arguable (though I despise it) that the company may have access to the contents of that harddrive just like a locked office or desk in their building.</p> <p>While it’s still (currently) a stretch to say that reading a person’s hard drive is like reading their mind/memories, it is inaccurate to consider a computer to be just another possession. The sheer scope of what we can do, access, store on a single computer goes way beyond the potentials of most briefcases. Physically, yes; a hard drive seems to be just another object/possession like a briefcase. Emotionally, however……</p> <p>Our judicial system should rethink a lot of things……<br /> among them: the concepts of law surrounding computers, intellectual property, internet/network privacy, etc…<br /> And just because something fits into a square hole, doesn’t make it a square.</p> Not exactly a briefcase though. While businessmen/women may carry personal journals, photos, etc. in their briefcase, briefcases are generally more work-centered in their personality, and general work-related or work-safe in their contents. A search of a hard drive is more like a search of someone’s entire home — personal photos, calendars, scrapbooks, diaries, old love letters, drafts of poems, odd drawings, kinky toys…

If the harddrive is on a laptop that is provided by one’s workplace, for work use “only”, then it is arguable (though I despise it) that the company may have access to the contents of that harddrive just like a locked office or desk in their building.

While it’s still (currently) a stretch to say that reading a person’s hard drive is like reading their mind/memories, it is inaccurate to consider a computer to be just another possession. The sheer scope of what we can do, access, store on a single computer goes way beyond the potentials of most briefcases. Physically, yes; a hard drive seems to be just another object/possession like a briefcase. Emotionally, however……

Our judicial system should rethink a lot of things……
among them: the concepts of law surrounding computers, intellectual property, internet/network privacy, etc…
And just because something fits into a square hole, doesn’t make it a square.

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