OK, this really ticked me off.

I hoped that it wasn't true when I saw this on a Yahoo blog, but I found confirmation on the New York Times. What am I talking about? The US government asserts the right to inspect and copy your computer's hard drive--same goes for your other electronic devices such as your smartphone or PDA--when you re-enter the country. And they don't need probable cause!

They may not have the right to force you to provide logins, passwords, encryption keys, and so on, so you should probably consider taking some precautions. After all, I keep my personal information, including tax returns and my banking records, on my hard drive. I can't stand the idea of some customs official copying all that without any serious judicial safeguards.

Get a subpoena!

CDs listened to today:

• Various Artists: Totally 80s, disk 1
• Deerhoof: The Runners Four
• Richard Wernick: Musica Ptolemeica
• Remy Shand: The Way I Feel
• Paula Diehl: Right Of Way
• anonymous: Chant