From what I understand in a recent post on the IP list by Wired's Declan McCullagh, this policy also embraces searches for "copyright enforcement" -- which opens up a whole new can of worms. Imagine if you have an iPod or loaded iTunes on your laptop. Do you need to prove you've paid for the bulk of your music or movies? What if you rip a few DVDs for the trip? Do we have to carry the original disc to prove we "own" (er, "licensed") the product? Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose? Further, as I read things, if you take your laptop, phone, or iPod and put it in a sealed First Class envelope, they can't search it without probable cause. So it seems like this policy has a built-in circumvention clause of sorts. Brilliant. Otherwise, I agree 100% with Alex' comments - my recently-rebuilt Powerbook is bare-bones, and rather sterile. Am i being paranoid? Perhaps. Does it mean more work for me when on the road internationally? Probably. Here again, I join other security professionals in voicing (or practicing) our intolerance of and protesting against poorly-conceived and horribly implimented policies enacted by the USG (or UK, et..al) in the name of "homeland security" that do more to inconvenience the innocent than catch the criminal. As I said back in 2003, in the post-9/11 New Normal (tm), we are all presumed guilty until proven guiltier -- often without knowing what standards are being applied in making such determinations. In a supposed democratic society like the United States that cherishes notions like checks-and-balances and an informed citizenry, the social and cultural effects of this recent phenomenon (2001-) I presume are clear to all. (end mini-rant) See also: Peter Swire: No, You Can't Search My Laptop http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/06/laptop_testimony.html Cheers - rick infowarrior.org