Should airport security have the ability to search

Alex Wawro

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals recently overturned a court decision that declared Customs officials could not legally search the contents of a personal computer without due cause.

This means that Michael Arnold, who was caught with a laptop containing child pornography after a 2005 vacation to the Philippines, faces up to 30 years in federal prison.

Arnold has spent the last few years attempting to have random searches declared illegal under the "unreasonable searches and seizures" clause of the Fourth Amendment. He tried on multiple occasions to get his laptop declared off-limits as evidence.

This is absurd; a criminal attempting to smuggle contraband materials through our border was foiled by a random search enforced by U.S. Customs and Border Control.

If occasional random searches are made illegal, then the entire methodology of our security program is rendered impotent. If a guard is barred from checking a laptop for kiddy porn, logically they should not be allowed to search a traveler's body for concealed weapons, or a carry-on bag for illegal narcotics.

This is why we all have to suffer through the random bag check or identification request, because occasionally a criminal is brazen enough to try and transport illicit merchandise across our borders. Arbitrary searches are always an inconvenience, but they are a necessary part of keeping our ports and borders safe and secure.

Given the poor public perception of the Bush administration and the many mistakes which have been made in international relations, it is tempting to jump on the bandwagon and condemn every aspect of our justice system; in this case, such condemnation is uncalled for.

Our customs officials performed their duties flawlessly and as a result a pedophile is on his way to prison.

Nicole Heinzinger

Laptops are a personal, portable connection to one's life. Stored on their hard drive, more often than not, is a mixture of homework, business work and work of various pleasures. These are the reasons they should stay personal.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals recently declared that security personnel may browse through the files and photos saved on your laptop without probable cause.

Although well-intentioned, the fact that a security guard can now take one look at my cleavage and decide that they are curious of what incriminating photos may be hidden within the realms of my laptop is preposterous.

Security in airports has reached the line of absurdity and are flirting with it. National security is a significant reason for these ludicrous measures, and rightfully so.

After Sept. 11 there is no doubt that stronger, more effective methods of screening those who board planes is needed, however, continuously adding items to the list of products forbidden on planes renders pointless.

The same goes to granting security access to the personal files on one's laptop.

The odds that someone is dumb enough to keep plans for a terrorist attack, drug smuggling and other illegal activities saved on their desktop are not promising. With the exception of Michael Arnold's child porn conviction and the morons on shows like "cops", it is unlikely those plans would be saved in a location easily accessible to others.

The documents saved on my hard drive are for my eyes, not those of a lonely, horny rent-a-cop with nothing better to do than get a cheap thrill.