Posts Tagged ‘dhs’

For my excellent Information Privacy course this past semester, I wrote my term paper on the Department of Homeland Security policy of searching digital devices, including laptops, at the border. I discuss the law regarding such warrantless searches, the specifics of the policy, and why we should oppose the ineffective and privacy infringing practice. The PDF is available here and an excerpt below.

“In the rush to search laptops, a more important question is missed. The debate is not security versus privacy. It is a question of liberty, of autonomy, and of human dignity. This was what Benjamin Franklin knew when he uttered the now famous declaration that “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” It was what Bruce Schneier recognized when he wrote, “The real choice is liberty versus control. Tyranny, whether it arises under threat of foreign physical attack or under constant domestic authoritative scrutiny, is still tyranny. Liberty requires security without intrusion, security plus privacy.” In a democracy, its citizens have the good fortune to know that the pendulum swings between opposing poles, but more importantly, they have the power to push the pendulum where they see fit. On the topic of searches of digital devices at the border, the pendulum needs pushing towards liberty.”

And here’s the Scribd embed:
Passport, Please. Password, Please.