Me:

I think the practical issues with this go way beyond a simple matter of whether or not it was reasonable under the circumstances to deny this couple access to the USA.

CBP claims broad authority to seize and perform detailed searches of travelers personal laptops, cellphones, and other electronic devices, at random, with absolutely no requirement that the circumstances reach a certain minimum standard of suspicion. CBP could seize EVERY laptop that enters the country under their interpretation of US policy and Constitutional law.

If all that it takes is a single sarcastic comment on Twitter for Americans to find their laptops seized and all of their private email, writings, and other documents subjected to detailed inspection by the Government the next time they go on an overseas vacation, there is absolutely no question that this will have a significant negative impact on the freedom of expression in this country. No question.

(In this case there is nothing that indicates that laptops were seized or searched. However, CBP argues that there are no meaningful limits to their power to search the content of electronic devices at the boarder. Therefore, if Twitter comments are leading to CBP searches, it is inevitable that some of those searches will include electronics.)

CBP’s powers have expanded radically in the past decade as a consequence of technological accidents, deferential court rulings in the wake of 9/11, and supportive federal policy. When you start seeing people self censor for fear of misinterpretation by CBP, you are now firmly in territory where our basic freedoms as Americans are in jeopardy. CBP’s job is obviously important and necessary, but just like other kinds of law enforcement, it can be done with reasonable limits that are also necessary to protect our country’s freedoms and identity.

Something must be done now to reign this in and set reasonable, objective limits that protect people’s basic constitutional rights.

The Volokh Conspiracy » Two Tourists Not Allowed in Country, Locked Up Overnight, Based on “Destroy America” Joke

Before his trip, Leigh Van Bryan wrote that he was going to "destroy America".

He insisted he was referring to simply having a good time - but was sent home.

Trade association Abta told the BBC that the case highlighted that holidaymakers should never do anything to raise "concern or suspicion in any way".

The US Department for Homeland Security picked up Mr Bryan's messages ahead of his holiday in Los Angeles.

The 26-year-old bar manager wrote a message to a friend on the micro-blogging service, saying: "Free this week, for quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America."

The Irish national told the Sun newspaper that he and his friend Emily Bunting were apprehended on arrival at Los Angeles International Airport before being sent home.

"The Homeland Security agents were treating me like some kind of terrorist," Mr Bryan said.

"I kept saying they had got the wrong meaning from my tweet."

This has gone too far.

BBC News - Caution on Twitter urged as tourists barred from US

BLODGET: And what about price-to-income and price-to-rent?

SHILLER: Those things have come down a lot. I don't know exactly where the middle is but it's not like we're overpriced anymore. Now the question is whether we'll overshoot...

SHILLER: I think historically, if you look at it, interest rates don't seem to matter very much in determining home prices. In terms of forecasting, which you're asking me to do, to forecast the change, the big thing in forecasting home prices is momentum. It's different than the stock market. So if it's been going up it will continue going up and if it's been going down it will continue going down. By that model, which is the most successful forecasting model for home prices, prices will keep going down.

ROBERT SHILLER: A Housing Bottom? What Are They Thinking?

In an interview, Norman S. Matloff, a professor at the University of California, Davis, who has studied hiring patterns in the technology sector, said workers over 35 regularly face discrimination by technology companies.

Kris Stadelman, director of NOVA, the local work force investment board, which released a survey of human resource directors at 251 Bay Area technology companies last July, said that in her experience, candidates began to be screened out once they reached 40.

“Especially in social media, cloud computing and mobile apps, if you’re over 40 you’re perceived to be over the hill,” Ms. Stadelman said.

Bay Area Technology Professionals Can’t Get Hired as Industry Moves On - NYTimes.com

Freddie’s charter calls for the company to make home loans more accessible. Its chief executive, Charles Haldeman Jr., recently told Congress that his company is “helping financially strapped families reduce their mortgage costs through refinancing their mortgages.”

But the trades, uncovered for the first time in an investigation by ProPublica and NPR, give Freddie a powerful incentive to do the opposite, highlighting a conflict of interest at the heart of the company.null

Freddie Mac Bets Against American Homeowners - ProPublica

The company says its millions of users stored their own data, including family photos and personal documents.

Megaupload hires outside companies to store the data, for a fee. But Megaupload attorney Ira Rothken said Sunday that the government has frozen its money.

A letter filed in the case Friday by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said storage companies Carpathia Hosting Inc. and Cogent Communications Group Inc. may begin deleting data Thursday.

Feds: Megaupload user data could be gone Thursday - CBS News

I’ve since looked at the policy in more detail and my conclusion is that this isn’t a mediocre but acceptable policy; rather, this is an excellent policy which will be helpful to free-speech advocates.

Why Twitter’s new policy is helpful for free-speech advocates | technosociology

Lawmakers for the left-wing Palikot's Movement wore [Anonymous] masks in parliament to show their dissatisfaction [with ACTA].

Poland signs copyright treaty that drew protests - Yahoo!

I want to denounce in the strongest possible manner the entire process that led to the signature of this agreement: no inclusion of civil society organisations, a lack of transparency from the start of the negotiations, repeated postponing of the signature of the text without an explanation being ever given, exclusion of the EU Parliament's demands that were expressed on several occasions in our assembly.

As rapporteur of this text, I have faced never-before-seen manoeuvres from the right wing of this Parliament to impose a rushed calendar before public opinion could be alerted, thus depriving the Parliament of its right to expression and of the tools at its disposal to convey citizens' legitimate demands.”

Everyone knows the ACTA agreement is problematic, whether it is its impact on civil liberties, the way it makes Internet access providers liable, its consequences on generic drugs manufacturing, or how little protection it gives to our geographical indications.

This agreement might have major consequences on citizens' lives, and still, everything is being done to prevent the European Parliament from having its say in this matter. That is why today, as I release this report for which I was in charge, I want to send a strong signal and alert the public opinion about this unacceptable situation. I will not take part in this masquerade.

Wow

European Parliament Official In Charge Of ACTA Quits, And Denounces The 'Masquerade' Behind ACTA | Techdirt

Under Supreme Court precedent, the government can't use the act of production or any evidence it learns as a result of that act against Fricosu.

The EFF doesn't agree with the recent 5th amendment ruling...

Disappointing Ruling in Compelled Laptop Decryption Case | Electronic Frontier Foundation