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Comment by fit2rule | Hacker News Reader

Paranoia is an entirely healthy response to this heinous intrusion into our human rights.

My anecdote - I'm Australian, lived in USA for decades, moved to Europe after 9/11. Every time I visit the USA it is an hours-long ordeal to explain, in fine detail, why I have the views I have, why I follow Snowden, why I participate in European hacker cultures, why my laptop is covered in security-conference-related stickers, etc. etc. During this process there is always the implied threat of imprisonment without due process. All my stuff is gone through. They find nothing, because I am not a threat in any way, other than that I freely associate with those aspects of society and culture which 'the mainstream' find mysterious, confusing, and scary.

So, I don't go to the USA much. Its about as much fun to get there as driving into a brick wall.

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I've heard these stories before but every time I stand in awe as if it's the first time(I've never traveled to US and I'll never will).

Do they ask you about your FB/Twitter account or do they already know them?

They look me up on Facebook right then and there .. just type in my name, look at my friends, see my connections. I'm connected, in some ways, with quite some movers and shakers in the security space, and I suppose there are alarm-bells in such a scenario. I dunno, it just feels so rude, intrusive, and backwards. I had a great time when I lived in the USA - now I just think of it as a sad, sad place. It lost its soul.

Wow. I'm getting infuriated just at the thought of it. And yet, were I in the same spot, I'd suspect I would shut my mouth and take it, out of fear I might end up in Guantanamo or whatnot :D

Its surely no fun when all you've thought about for 30+ hours of traveling is that great American burger .. I don't know if it will ever change in my lifetime, but it sure is a pity that I remember a kinder, gentler America.

As a citizen of the US, I find this subthread a bit 'crazy town' and nobody I know would believe this story. Perhaps you are an extraordinary case? To be clear, I'm not saying your story is untrue, but such claims require some proof before you will get people to make an issue of this problem you allege.

Part of the problem with your state is that its citizens are too gullible and too naive and don't dig deeper because they've gotten used to things having a 'normal state', and all of this is all 'too fantastic and weird'.

You may not ever have experienced what I've described, but it happens every single day, time and again. You can find others' reports if you care to look for yourself .. my anecdote only has relevance if it serves to make you, an American citizen, truly contemplate what you have allowed to occur in your name. The security nightmare is real for a lot of people.

I don't mean to be rude, but extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. It's the best we have and it won't be easy, but my neighbor thinks there are aliens hovering over our houses once per month (his phone can't record it for some reason)...

Your condescending attitude is worse than being rude. Your ignorance is astounding too.

BTW, I left you the, surprisingly hard(took me 3 minutes) to find, evidence you asked in the other comment.

The problem is, your states' security apparatus has all the means it needs to hide the evidence... by design.

As a citizen of the world I'm stunned that nobody you know would believe that story.

A 5 minute search on the Internet would be... enough?

As if all similar stories are part of some global conspiracy?

Like... you only know how good, efficient and super cool the people at the TSA are?

Really?

There are many things claimed on the internet, but they are not all true. If you would like to explicitly link to a claim you think is valid, please do. Otherwise your comment reads like, "Oh yeah, I read it on the internet!"

As an American citizen, you have the responsibility to get educated about the simple facts and not ask of others to do that for you.

Laura Poitras is an American citizen too. Is she credible enough for you? Can you tell me what are her thoughts on the TSA?

No? Do you even care? If you do care, then put the effort to learn what is already accessible to you. Otherwise what's the point in engaging in discussions with comments "oh yeah you read it on the Internet derp derp"

Here, have a freebie from Bruce Schneier: https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2015/04/hacker_detain...

EDIT: it seems, when facts come in, downvotes are cast! Ouch. It burns

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