flynn23 wrote:
I'm skeptical. Most of the post 9-11 reaction was driven by showmanship, not actual effectiveness. I suspect there's a financial motive here. Are people trying to smuggle data via netwalking? Have the series of tubes gotten so well monitored that they are ineffective for transport? That seems unlikely.

People smuggle information on the Internet. Its convenient and it can be encrypted. Ironically, if its on the Internet a warrant is required to read it.

I think this is the product of a more complicated process than a direct decision by a single person with a particular motive. Its a slow, evolutionary process that involves multiple people who have different motives.

In the late 1970's and early 1980's they got the right to do random searches in the context of the drug war (They argue that they always had that right. I don't think the historical evidence necessarily establishes that.) So they search a lot of luggage, and they do it at random. At one time they said that they search 1 to 2 percent, which is 3 to 6 people off of every inbound flight.

They occasionally read documents when doing these searches... Sometimes its an effective end run around a warrant requirement if they know their suspect is guilty but they can't establish how they know.

The earlier cases involving pedophiles were all situations where they knew who the individual was, and searched their laptops, but at some point they clearly decided to start doing it at random. Thats not much of a leap for them. Eventually they came up with this Arnold guy.

So now, its not just a policy of random searches. Its an effective tool to locate child molesters. Its become a much more difficult thing to oppose. Think of the children...

I think that if we didn't have the 4th amendment there is no way we could get it today. The people wouldn't have it. No one understands what it's purpose is, but everyone understands getting a pedophile off of the street. The only reason people believe the 4th amendment is important is because they were socialized to support the Constitution when they were children.

RE: I Am Progress - Hands Off My Laptop