Customs search finding convo about boys & sex

[bucknaway]

Is there any worry regarding customs now starting to demand access to phones, laptops and passwords where they may come across conversations or posts about boy sex in thailand?

[abidismaili]

Never was asked for that by customs. I have no worries. Nothing I do is illegal. If you have pictures of boys you off and they can pass for 16/17 because they look young,  take care you have photo of ID card (or from these kind of boys just don't take a picture).

 

Unless you come from a jurisdiction, where it is illegal to go to prostitutes, there really is nothing to fear. Why have fear if you break no law? I do not understand the extreme safety measures some members take like putting all in cloud, encrypting laptop, logging out of Facebook.

 

I really don't care customs find my fuck videos. Last trip when doing my bagage check they found my transparant plastic bag full of condoms. I didn't care. Privacy for me is only relevant for people I know. I would not want family or collegues or friends to see my fuck videos, but if a custom official who I do not know sees it, so what? He probably sees many every day and has forgotten you already in 10 minutes.

 

If I were a custom official I would search very good the phones of women coming back from Thailand. They are rarely searched and I think a lot can be learned when we start focussing on the other sex more. I really would not be surprised the illegal material is to be found there!!

[emailbroken]

It would probably depend on what you were getting up to (legal or illegal) and which country you were returning to.

[forky123]

Is there any worry regarding customs now starting to demand access to phones, laptops and passwords where they may come across conversations or posts about boy sex in thailand?

Only if you are travelling to the US.

[farangyai]

It depends on why they are looking, what you have on those devices, and how easily you worry, even about legal but private activity.  It also depends on what definition you use of "boy sex".  As you know that term has a different definition in USA than Thailand. 

 

Quite simple.

[bucknaway]

I read the story of the guy traveling from Canada to the USA and customs searched his phone and looked at this Jack'ed profile and read that he was looking to take loads and concluded that he was a prostitute and denied entry to the USA.  He tried to come back again to see his lover and wiped his profiles.  He was stopped by customs and denied entry and told he should not have deleted his profiles.

 

I remember back where a guy was arrested and prosecuted for what was thought to be underage guys on his computer but later found out to be "Twinks" of legal age.  He was vindicated but after the arrest and his name being published in papers and reported on the news as a pedophile.

 

Thailand is notorious for child sex and I am just wondering the risk that is run with all the boy talk?  In the USA, boy talk is pedophile talk.  I don't know what that type of talk would lead to in other countries.

 

Aside from that, I wonder what will happen if on a connecting flight in Doha they demand to see my phone and passwords and find my gay apps?  Could that ever happen?

[TotallyOz]

I have had phone and computer search a ton going back into USA.  I just give them the information they need to access and they do.  They are looking for illegal photos and I have none.  If they look for conversations, just be sure you don't say you are doing to fuck them for $. Anything else can be grey area.

 

I was searched so many times as I travel with 8-10 suitcases and I learned the best way to is sit down and let them search what they want and when they have a question, I answer yes or no and go back to reading. They hate someone doesn't get upset being searched. 

 

I was once asked about my 9k songs on ITunes and I told them to find the desktop and folder called Receipts/Apple and they will find all info there. They asked why I purchased so many songs and kept receipts and I told them because I knew customs would want to know.  They waved me by.

 

I do have friends that are flight attendants and they get stuck often for having fake items. You are only allowed so many of those things in the country like watches, etc. 

 

I would not worry about phone conversations unless you are embarrassed by them asking about boys and gay sex. If they ask if you travel to Thailand for sex just tell them, "No, I travel.  And, I just so fucking hot people want me where ever I go."  That always gets a laugh and they move on.

 

Customs in USA is a PITA. I think it will get more "badly" under Trump.

[abidismaili]

Why lie when they ask if you travel to Thailand for sex? It's not illlegal in the USA to go to prostitutes, or is it? Else I understand you need to lie. But what a hypocrisy. There are many prostitutes in America.

[Guest samebb]

I am so glad I don't have to fly into the states these days. I used to do so many times a year for work however not once did I encounter anything like this. 

I encrypt everything. I don't do it to hide from customs. I do it to protect my data if my equipment is stolen. My life and work is between my phone and laptop.

 

I have yet been asked to "unlock" my devices anywhere in the world. I think the UK (my home country) now have a law where you have to de-crpty a device if requested and if you refuse you will simply be charged and sent to jail. I think they have to have reasonable suspicion of criminal activity however.

I wasn't aware Americans were facing such invasions of privacy also. 
Sickening really.

 

I would unlock my laptop for american customs. Nothing to hide. A total mess most of the time, good luck to them. I hope they like spreadsheets. However if I had to fly into the UK, I would tell them to fuck off, out of principle. Just my 2cents.

[kokopelli]

Why take a risk, bucknaway ? Recently a  poster on another forum returned to USA from Thailand to Phila  and "they" were waiting for him to to confiscate his devices.

Seems there was some suspicion of him due to his place of employment or maybe due to tipoff , etc. although doubtful anything he did was illegal. Anyone going to/from Thailand is a target for further inspection by US Customs.

[firecat69]

I must be lucky . In 50 trips to Thailand and return to USA and at least another 25 from other countries , I have been stopped once . That was at Detroit to which I have never entered again. They had some problems with pills I had bought and gave an hours worth of aggravation.

 

I have entered NYC, MSP, ATL, IAD LAX, SFO,SEA,MIA with no problems. For quite some time I used SEA as my point of entry because of the friendliness of customs . Always a welcome home Sir. The other great thing about SEA it is by far the shortest flight to Tokyo from the West Coast and I would frequently stay the night from the East Coast.

 

I had more problems in Canada and especially Toronto, which I now avoid. I do travel light with 1 suitcase and a brief case . Someone did give me a tip that when they asked where you went in Thailand leave Pattaya out of the destinations and I have always done that.

[thaiophilus]

"I wonder what will happen if on a connecting flight in Doha"

 

In most countries outside of the USA there is a concept of "transit": If you have connecting flights and stay airside at the airport you have not technically entered the country. Therefore you don't go through customs at all, though you will probably have to undergo the usual security theatre (X-rays ,metal detectors etc.) before boarding.

[reader]

CNN carried this segment on the topic a few months ago.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/16/us/border-legal-rights-faq-trnd/index.html

[Guest ryanasia]

Just restore your phone before leaving Thailand and use the cloud when you get home. All phones back up easily these days. If they ask why your phone is new just tell them your friend gave it to you as a gift. It is hard to get blood from a rock. I don't carry anything illegal but a blank phone makes for a moot conversation and that is ideal.

 

Buying electronics on vacation is completely normal.

[Guest ronnie4you]

60% of the time, I have no trouble coming back into the USA. Very pleasant officers and a good experience. In the other 40% I include rude, crude, and outright nasty customs officers. Yet no one beats Canadian officers for rudeness.

 

On my last return t the USA, we encountered a guy who seemed ready for bear. He demanded to know the "nature" of our relationship. I said that we were a gay married couple. He immediately and without any cause sent us to the Agricultural inspection, which is known to take a long time. But we got through it quickly after I told them I thought the guy only sent us because we are gay.

 

But as I reflect on it, it could be mistaken. Sure, the guy wasn't friendly, but it was just after Chinese New Year, and the husband is Chinese, so not out of the question that he might be bringing back NY delicacies. There was no evidence of that, and the guy may have been just a bigoted homophobe. I did respond  to him "Oh, you don't like gay couples?" He ignored that- thankfully.

Pardon me if I have told this story before.

[bucknaway]

Why take a risk, bucknaway ? Recently a poster on another forum returned to USA from Thailand to Phila and "they" were waiting for him to to confiscate his devices.

Seems there was some suspicion of him due to his place of employment or maybe due to tipoff , etc. although doubtful anything he did was illegal. Anyone going to/from Thailand is a target for further inspection by US Customs.

I plan to buy hey Google Chrome laptop because I don't want anyone snooping in my work-related laptop and I am not going to put it in my checked bag has demanded when flying back into the USA from Doha

[kokopelli]

Good idea. Chrome book is cheap.

[Guest ryanasia]

Good idea. Chrome book is cheap.

 

You can use whatever you have. You simply transfer anything that could be embarrassing to the cloud. There is nothing specifically a Chromebook does that any other computer doesn't do. To buy a CB just for that is a waste of money.

[forky123]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39554421

 

Sod going to the US at the moment...

[bucknaway]

I'm buying a chromebook because you're not allowed to fly from doha to the usa with your laptop as carryon. I don't want to run the risk of having my laptop stolen from my checked bag so I plan to buy a cheap chromebook to do limited work in Thailand and if it gets stolen I will not cry as much and will count my lucky stars.

[kokopelli]

Chrome books are almost throw aways. Everything is in a cloud. Keep one in Thailand and one at home. No need to bring one with you on a flight.Or, if you wish to have internet access, then bring one along with no history, downloads, bookmarks, etc.

[Guest ryanasia]

Chrome books are almost throw aways. Everything is in a cloud. Keep one in Thailand and one at home. No need to bring one with you on a flight.Or, if you wish to have internet access, then bring one along with no history, downloads, bookmarks, etc.

I don't understand the need for a throw away laptop. It is simply not necessary. Any laptop can be erased there is no need to buy a new laptop which... you have to erase.

[firecat69]

I'm pretty sure that without removing the Hard Drive there is no way to really erase anything or at least know what might be gone and still there?

[Guest ryanasia]

I'm pretty sure that without removing the Hard Drive there is no way to really erase anything or at least know what might be gone and still there?

I just restore my Mac and use the cloud to rest it to how it was where ever I travel. Sure you can recover the data but even the NSA needs forensic experts to do this. So my Mac is basically a new computer when I travel.

[Guest ryanasia]

As  is my iphone and iPad.