This time the person was a Wall Street Journal reporter who had returned from Israel. Seriously, Israel, who has the most secure airport in the world.
"The DHS agent went on to say she was there to help me navigate immigration because I am a journalist with The Wall Street Journal and have traveled to many dangerous places that are on the US' radar for terrorism. She independently knew who I worked for and my Twitter account, countries I'd reported from (like Iraq) and even recent articles I'd written -- I told her nothing about myself.
1) My rights as a journalist or US citizen do not apply at the border, as explained above, since legislation was quietly passed in 2013 giving DHS very broad powers (I researched this since the incident). This legislation also circumvents the Fourth Amendment that protects Americans' privacy and prevents searches and seizures without a proper warrant.
2) Always use encryption, but even this cannot keep you 100% safe. If you are contacting someone about a sensitive matter, use an application like Signal. But if DHS seizes your phone, they can see you've been speaking to that person, although if you erase your chats, they won't see what you spoke about.
3) Never download anything or even open a link from a friend or source that looks suspicious. This may be malware, meaning that they have downloaded software on your phone that will be able to circumvent the powers of encryption. Don't leave your phone unattended for the same reasons - they can just open it up and download malware.
4) Travel "naked" as one encryption expert told me. If any government wants your information, they will get it no matter what. Remember the San Bernardino shooter? Apple refused to comply, so the US got the information by paying an Israeli company $1 million to unlock the shooter's phone. So if you have something extra sensitive on your device - phone or laptop - do not travel with it and instead use your sim card in a clean phone. And for sensitive numbers, write them on a piece of paper you can somehow secure and then restore the factory settings on your phone - which seems to be the only way of wiping it clean 100%."
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jul/21/homeland-security-journalist-maria-abi-habib-detained
After questioning her, the officer asked her to hand over her cellphone, saying she wished to collect information. According to Abi-Habib: “I told her I had first amendment rights as a journalist she couldn’t violate and I was protected under. I explained I had to protect my sources of information.
“‘Did you just admit you collect information for foreign governments?’ she asked, her tone turning hostile.
Abi-Habib shared a DHS document the officer gave her, which outlined the department’s right to take electronics and search them anywhere within 100 miles of a port of entry. This, Abi-Habib pointed out, would encompass all of New York City.
Why can't journalists just be left alone to do their jobs?
Why can't journalists just be left alone to do their jobs?
I don't know the reasons behind this story and neither do you. But you should realize that countries recruit journalists as spies because they have access to many people in government.
It is commonly known that spies are usually 'aid workers' and embassy staff we send to other countries. Journalists usually have enough integrity they will not be swayed by money or other offerrings from other countries.
Right. No journalists have ever been arrested as spies. Never.
For someone who knows everything, you are wrong quite often.
It is commonly known that spies are usually...
Omg, how can anyone read past that right there. I'm dying over here!! Only Gina, Priceless!!!
hahahhaaahaa .... whaddya mean man, it's common knowledge!!!
All of those aid workers Russia sends to the USA are spies? 😛
I can't answer that, but I think it is funny that Trump is saying that if the Russians can find Hillary's deleted emails they should make them public knowledge.
DORAL, Fla. — Donald J. Trump directly addressed Russia in a news conference in Florida on Wednesday, openly calling on it to find the roughly 30,000 emails that Hillary Clinton deleted from her private email server.
“Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” Mr. Trump said, staring directly into the cameras. “I think you will probably be mightily rewarded by our press.”
Mr. Trump’s running mate, Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana, said any hacking by Russia should not be tolerated, but he also faulted the Democrats.
“The FBI will get to the bottom of who is behind the hacking. If it is Russia and they are interfering in our elections, I can assure you both parties and the United States government will ensure there are serious consequences,” he said, adding, “That said, the Democrats singularly focusing on who might be behind it and not addressing the basic fact that they’ve been exposed as a party who not only rigs the government, but rigs elections while literally accepting cash for federal appointments is outrageous.
Remarks: Trump is bodacious, Pence is diplomatic, as a team they will complement each other. When the reporters kept pressing Trump, he reportedly said if the Russians can hack into it and find her emails they should release them to the FBI.
[Edited on 7/27/2016 by gina]
Trump is asking a foreign power to hack into an email server and gina finds nothing wrong with it.
All countries spy on each other, they just do. Trump clarified his remarks to add that the FBI would get to the bottom of who was behind the hacking, but he hoped that if Russia had any way to find out anything, that they would do so and disclose it. He was not advocating a Watergate type thing, he was out in the open when he said it, he was not calling anyone behind closed doors asking them to do that.
