Airport security 'allowed to read your emails'

[Inver]

[h=1]Our right to privacy continues to be eroded. [/h]
Quote: ISRAELI security officials at Ben Gurion airport are legally allowed to demand access to tourists' email accounts and deny them entry if they refuse, the country's top legal official said.

Read more: Airport security 'allowed to read your emails' | News.com.au

 

[mannej]

I'm sure Australian custom officials have similar power in checking for things like illegal material on computers do they not

 

[jetlagger]

Our right to privacy continues to be eroded.


Quote: ISRAELI security officials at Ben Gurion airport are legally allowed to demand access to tourists' email accounts and deny them entry if they refuse, the country's top legal official said.

Read more: Airport security 'allowed to read your emails' | News.com.au

I always have nothing to hide.
I recall that on a flight from LHR/TLV, I was brought aside & questioned, bags searched & further more questioned about my relationship with my travelling patterns travelling to Israel & beyond..
I certainly as a legitimate traveller never have any issue whatsoever with this.

 

[puppysparkes]

[h=1]Our right to privacy continues to be eroded. [/h]
Quote: ISRAELI security officials at Ben Gurion airport are legally allowed to demand access to tourists' email accounts and deny them entry if they refuse, the country's top legal official said.

Read more: Airport security 'allowed to read your emails' | News.com.au

Similar to section 186(a) power to make copies.

http://www.customs.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/customsact1901.pdf

 

[JohnPhelan]

The immigration officer would need to be quite suspicious about someone to go to the bother of doing this. I'd have no problem with it; nor would most people who have nothing to hide. Could be a problem if you have email communication with Hezbollah or anti-Semitic groups, of course.

 

[Sprucegoose]

Happy to read mine!

 

[Will]

Pretty sure the US, UK, and Australia have granted customs similar powers. There is a discretionary, practically unappealable right to deny entry to non-citizens that have the practical effect of forcing travellers to surrender their passwords and (a copy of) their hard drives. In fact, IIRC, the UK has a criminal statute requiring disclosure of passwords to certain government authorities.

 

[Danger]

Tel Aviv is the only airport in the world I have ever travelled to where, on departure and prior to check-in, my entire luggage was searched from top to bottom.

 

[chrisb]

There is a significant difference between demanding access to a laptop computer to check what you might be bringing into the country vs demanding access to an email account that you may not even use while in the country.

It also seems a little pointless as it's stupidly easy to bypass by having two accounts - if you have something to hide from them.

 

[samh004]

I'd begrudgingly share my emails if required by law, but not a password (or I'd simply change the password after), as that just gives them access forever...

 

[HappyTraveler]

I think I read that in some countries (China etc.) airport security may take your laptop for additional "verification", and sometimes they even copy the contents of hard drive. True or not, it could be even scarier then email access (well, it is always a good idea to keep most sensitive data in the encrypted format anyway....)

 

[Inver]

I think I read that in some countries (China etc.) airport security may take your laptop for additional "verification", and sometimes they even copy the contents of hard drive. True or not, it could be even scarier then email access (well, it is always a good idea to keep most sensitive data in the encrypted format anyway....)

Coying the contents could take a considerable amount of time depending on how it would be done.

 

[HappyTraveler]

I read about some technologies (not necessarily available to public) that allow to do it very quickly....In any case, when the security tells you that they need some time to "verify" something - you have only two choices - agree or not to fly (and perhaps be recorded in some list you do not want to be registered )

 

[UP4014]

I seem to recall the way undesirables exchange emails is they both use the same non ISP email like hotmail, save their messages into the drafts folder and the next person logs into the same account and picks it up from the drafts folder. No email is ever actually sent which makes it harder to track of course.

 

[drron]

I would have no problems if they read my 490 unread emails and tell me which ones I should read and which to delete.

 

[SeatBackForward]

I would have no problems if they read my 490 unread emails and tell me which ones I should read and which to delete.

Or similarly, trawl through them all, building up a timeline of events to defend an argument I'm having with someone.

 

[puppysparkes]

I seem to recall the way undesirables exchange emails is they both use the same non ISP email like hotmail, save their messages into the drafts folder and the next person logs into the same account and picks it up from the drafts folder. No email is ever actually sent which makes it harder to track of course.

Unless you take significant steps well beyond the average user to minimise your digital foot print, EVERYTHING you do online is traceable.

 

[coles525]

I would have no problems if they read my 490 unread emails and tell me which ones I should read and which to delete.

In my case 4,280 current emails!

That's with an email i check many times a day and night....

Also have at least 2 other ones not used often.

 

[Hvr]

I seem to recall the way undesirables exchange emails is they both use the same non ISP email like hotmail, save their messages into the drafts folder and the next person logs into the same account and picks it up from the drafts folder. No email is ever actually sent which makes it harder to track of course.

Well even former CIA director David Petraeus used this method to communicate with his mistress. He got caught so the rest of us have no hope.

 

[HappyTraveler]

In my case 4,280 current emails!

Also have at least 2 other ones not used often.

Good point, if you have several accounts, just give them one you do not use a lot , to save them some time.