Ever hear of the 4th Amendment?

[gridlore]

Watching CNN just now, and they had a story about baggage being searched at airports without the passengers' consent or presence.

At one point a screener, when asked about privacy, said "If they don't want me to see it, don't pack it."

Excuse me? This may come as a shock to our government, but at times people carry things that they do not want to share with underpaid screeners.

For example I will be packing material of an erotic, kinky nature both ways on my New York trip. I know what happens behind the scenes in travel industry.

This doesn't even begin to address the possibilities for theft.

Also they stated that if a search found something like drugs they would inform the cops. This only violates 25+ years of court precident.

My bags are going to be fucking padlocked from now on.

Comments

[kengr]

Also they stated that if a search found something like drugs they would inform the cops. This only violates 25+ years of court precident.

Actually it only does so if the screeners are "police". If they are airport employees they can do it without it being illegally obtained evidence. But that means that you'd get to *try* to sue them for opening your bags.

Alas, there all these court precedents that say you *automatically* consent to this sort of "non-police" searching merely by showing up at the airport (or the department store, or...)

Circumventing the Luggage Secret Police

[zyxwvut.livejournal.com]

Potential workaround: ship/mail the "sensitive"
items to/from NYC separately...?

Z

P.S.: Padlocks won't stop X-Rays, neither.

Re: Circumventing the Luggage Secret Police

[gridlore.livejournal.com]

The items I'm worried about won't show up on X-rays. I just have problems with people pawing through my stuff when I'm not there.

Re: Circumventing the Luggage Secret Police

[blackfyr.livejournal.com]

You can mail them to yourself at your destination, be it hotel or friend's place, then pick it up when you get there. Or send it via UPS or one of the other carriers.