Now they can seize your laptop at the border, and under the flimsiest of pretenses. And not just the US/Mexico border.Jerilea Zempel, a college professor who's also an artist, was detained at the New Brunswick, Canada border crossing because of a drawing in her notebook of an SUV...not even a very detailed drawing, either, more like a cartoon. "We think you may be guilty of copyright infringement," they informed her. On that basis they searched her, removed and went through her laptop, digital camera and cellphone, papers in her car (NOT an SUV, but a Toyota Prius) and kept her sitting on a bench for a couple of hours.
It was her credentials as a college professor that got her off the bench and on her way.
The drawing was for an art project, involving a hand-crocheted "cozy" for an SUV, which she had submitted at the Cultural Capital Festival in New Brunswick. Her experience at the border inspired her to name the shroud, "The Homeland Security Blanket."
Consider this a warning: take care what you doodle, especially if you're traveling. Stick to birdies and kitties and little fishies if you want to stay out of trouble.