New Zealand Travelers Refusing to Give Passwords for Phone and Computer Searches Are Subject to a Fine Up to $5,000 NZ ($3,306 US)

Pixabay
New Zealand: Travelers who refuse to hand over their phone or laptop passwords to Customs officials can now be slapped with a $5,000 NZ ($3,306 US) fine, and the device may be seized and forensically searched. Customs can carry out “digital strip-searches” in a file-by-file search on your phone. The law requires officials to have a reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing to conduct a search, but no one has defined “reasonable”. Border officials searched roughly 540 electronic devices at New Zealand airports in 2017 and do not expect the number of searches to increase – however, it’s entirely up to them. -GEG

The Customs and Excise Act 2018 – which comes into effect today – sets guidelines around how Customs can carry out “digital strip-searches”.

Previously, Customs could stop anyone at the border and demand to see their electronic devices. However, the law did not specify that people had to also provide a password.

The updated law makes clear that travellers must provide access – whether that be a password, pin-code or fingerprint – but officials would need to have a reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing.

“It is a file-by-file [search] on your phone. We’re not going into ‘the cloud’. We’ll examine your phone while it’s on flight mode,” Customs spokesperson Terry Brown said.

If people refused to comply, they could be fined up to $5000 and their device would be seized and forensically searched.

Mr Brown said the law struck the “delicate balance” between a person’s right to privacy and Customs’ law enforcement responsibilities.

“I personally have an e-device and it maintains all my records – banking data, et cetera, et cetera – so we understand the importance and significance of it.”

Council for Civil Liberties spokesperson Thomas Beagle said the law was an unjustified invasion of privacy.

“Nowadays we’ve got everything on our phones; we’ve got all our personal life, all our doctors’ records, our emails, absolutely everything on it, and customs can take that and keep it.”

The new requirement for reasonable suspicion did not rein in the law at all, Mr Beagle said.

“They don’t have to tell you what the cause of that suspicion is, there’s no way to challenge it.”

Read full article here…

Visit our Classified ads.

Check out our Classified ads at the bottom of this page.

Recent stories & commentary

Classified Ads

The appearance of ads on this site does not signify endorsement by the publisher. We cannot vouch for accuracy of statements or integrity of advertisers. We will investigate complaints, however, and remove any message we find to be misleading or that promotes anything fraudulent or unethical.
For ad rates, click here.

Health


Learn Natural Medicine practice at home! There is NO Freedom without Health Freedom. There is NO Health Freedom without Informed, Voluntary Consent. There is no informed consent without education and understanding. American College of Natural Medicine, Thai Yoga Center provides you and your family with spiritually based natural health education. ThaiYogaCenter.Com or https://naic-edu.org


Health with space-age technology and Quantum physics. For people and all animals. No medication! Available world wide! Contact us at [email protected]. For principals and testimonials please visit our website. www.Healthytherapy.com



G. Edward Griffin’s blood pressure dropped to healthy levels and stayed there after using Cardio Miracle, a nitric-oxide booster containing a blend of ingredients that supports the body’s natural defense against heart disease, atherosclerosis, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimers, and more. If you are over 40, you really should check this out.


The Heavenly Handbook of Health. “WOW! U want FeedBack? So far I am floored. If I’ve learned anything about you since we met; this book has the potential to be a blockbuster.” Read 18pg Teaser @ HeavenlyHandbookofHealth.com Simple, incredible, affordable health – any age!



JWLABS – Building fine Rife frequency instruments in the USA since 1987.
We offer customer support and an exceptional warranty. Learn why all households and clinics should employ this device. Call us at 888-891-1122 to discuss the many benefits.   www.rifemachine.com


Income


Are you ready for financial freedom?
Visit:  www.MoneyThatsReal.com



Free Report: Three Major Shifts That Signal Risks to Your Investments Are Headed Higher. Including the one action every investor should take right now to protect their portfolio against significantly rising risks. http://BuyAndStoreGold.com/pl-geg/



Ultimate Wealth Building Guide reveals 5 steps to create your own banking system to achieve lifetime financial security, certainty, and peace of mind in 60 days. Discover how to build and grow lasting wealth safely and predictably, regardless of market and economic cycles. www.mywealthwarehouse.com


Make money on money you are already spending. Join the world’s largest shopping network. Eleven-year-old company in 46 countries. Info and free membership. www.freedombuildersinternational.com


Money & Banking


Lawful 100% income tax avoidance: a right recognized by IRS and Supreme Court. Request free report: [email protected] or find NoThanksIRS on FB/Twitter.


Need to Know


Being informed is not enough. Knowledge, by itself, is not power, but it holds the potential for power if used as a guide for action. Truth can be overpowered by tyranny only if we fail to enter the battle. The future belongs, not to ideas, but to people who act on those ideas. If you truly want to make a difference in the world, Freedom Force International awaits you.



Anxiety Publishing – providing more satisfying novels to the conscious community, stories based in a real world, not the illusion of the establishment. Promote your precious novel with your fellow authors and help build a collection of future classics. anxietypub.com


For Sale


Offline is a documentary on the inevitability of the Earth being slammed by a mega solar flare – not the common type that interrupts communications and creates a light show in the Northern skies – but the big brothers thousands of times more powerful. These monsters deliver enough energy to blow apart the master transformers that supply the planet’s energy grids. When that happens, the lights go out for longer than anyone wants to think about. These X-Class solar storms hit the Earth every 150 years, on average. The last one arrived 156 years ago. We are overdue (More)

 


Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments