Like most Canadians I was saddened to hear of the Roman Catholic bishop that is allegedly guilty of possessing, and apparently “importing” pornographic pictures of minors. However, I feel that there is another issue at stake here besides how the sexuality of those under a ridiculous vow of celibacy manifests itself.
What is the deal with this business of “random” searches of our computer hard-drives? When did this start, and why are we seemingly “OK” with it?! Is it because, in this case, we allow the end result to justify the means? We think we’ve caught an evil “pervert” and so we throw privacy and freedom under the bus? Do we really want a group of smirking border guards gathered around having a giggle at intimate “glamour” pictures of our wives, for instance? How about the RCMP has a gang-screen of that hospital video of your son or daughter being born that you’ve got saved? Or maybe have a group-gander at private pics of your grandfather on his death bed?
Would we feel the same way if a “random search” of a citizen’s laptop revealed evidence of criminal tax evasion or embezzlement, for instance? Or does white collar crime not enrage our passions enough?
“Random” searches, whether it be our electronic data at customs, or the RCMP rifling through our pockets on a street corner, are NOT the way to fight crime in a free democracy. We have a right to expect more from law enforcement, not just having them fish through our belongings willy-nilly until they find something. Trace this stuff electronically if you want; go ahead and infiltrate the pedophile/terrorist/skate-boarding-without-helmet networks, I don’t give a fuck – but “random” searches? Are you kidding me? What’s next, “random” searches of our homes?
In fact, I bet if we just took the next few years and systematically kicked in every single door in Canada, we’d catch all kinds of awful bad guys.
—baD mR fRosTy
This article appears in Oct 1-7, 2009.
a. the random searches are done at entry points into the country by Customs, not the RCMP or police. They are called in if something is found or performing custom duties; and
b. it has always been this way. The only thing new is technology.
If the former Bishop had been vieiwing or ordering child porn on line then I’m fairly certain his electronice details would have raised an electronic red flag, pardon my lack of technical terminology, and the random search would not have been as random as reported.
No doubt the $800 per hour Ottawa lawyers will be taking that into account when defending this pervert.
Speaking of $800 per hour, I wonder who will be paying that – the RC Church or the parishoners, or maybe from his pension – I wonder what a former Bishop gets as a pension?
Dollars to donuts says Canadian Border Services receive a tip on this one. Unlikely the search was random.
Praise Jesus – NOT!
The CATSA also have that ability not just customs.
“The random selection for enhanced screening occurs regardless of whether or not a passenger sets off alarms when they pass through the walk-through metal detector. As not all threat items are metallic, this procedure is in place to better identify potential threats and to protect the travelling public and is in accordance with the requirements of the security measures issued by the Minister of Transport.”
Just so you know.
Again, I very much doubt this was random.
BTW Bad Mr Frosty, how is the Alderney Gate Library?
What good is screening digital information at customs when it’s so easy to encrypt or upload files internationally?
Frosty, where you been?
I’ve actually never really trusted the internet as far as privacy goes since day one. If you have something to hide don’t leave an electronic trail.
Child pornography has nothing to do with sexuality. It is a violation of children’s rights. Just because he took a vow of celibacy doesn’t mean he had no other choice but to seek out pornographic images of minors. His sexuality could have “manifested itself,” in a healthy, legal way if he were feeling constrained by his vow of celibacy. The fact that he sought out pornographic images of children makes him a disgusting, sick individual, and you should be glad a person like this has been caught.
Canada customs has done this for a long time. They are permitted to open your laptop, go to the ‘my photos’ file and have a look. The reasoning is exactly this – looking for child porn.
I know this from having a close friend working at CC at a major airport. They do randomly do these searches – not to say this incident wasn’t targeted.
I kind of agree with the poster. This is a somewhat scary thought considering the education and professionalism required to become one of those agents (none – really…). Freedoms??
Besides your laptop, they can also search your camera, cell phone and other electronic devices at the border. And, they can keep your devices for weeks, which enables them to go through them thoroughly.
Tips on securing your info:
http://www.cba.org/cba/Practicelink/tayp/l…
a diddler is still a diddler,whether with a church or not. and they have no place in our society, anywhere. is he guilty or not, let the courts decide. but if he is, then get him and all the rest of this scum away from us decent people. we don’t need this kind of garbage or perverts teaching or being alone with our kids, who look up to these people. the whole church is rotten to the core, and they just shift the real,guilty ones around. they have been doing this forever, and should stop now.
The church is rotten to its core. This is the same catholic church that provided money and safe passage to S.America for many Nazis, including Eichmann, Franz Stangl, and Dr. Mengele.
So having a few kiddie pics is nothing compared to what they normally do.
OK guys, you’re kind of getting off-topic here….Catholic Church bad, pedophiles bad, most rational folk agree, let’s move on…
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I completely agree with ol’ Frosty. The ends do not at all justify the means. We consent to searches when boarding planes because of obvious and immediate security concerns. We consent (albeit, sometimes grudgingly) to searches when crossing borders due to issues of security and contraband. But there’s a big difference between randomly searching someone at the border for weapons or drugs, and randomly rifling through their documents, reading their diary or looking at their private photographs. This practice of random searches and seizures of people’s computers, etc. is disturbing and raises serious issues concerning attorney-client privilege, company confidentiality, and just our plain old right to privacy. Our civil liberties keep going down the toilet under the guise of ‘security’ and it’s startling that so few people seem to be concerned about it.
The only 2 customs in the world that ever asked me to turn on my laptop after I got off a plane – Saudi Arabia and Halifax customs. They seem pretty over the top here compared to every other international airport in Canada when it comes to a time consuming thorough search – they’ve even broken stuff of mine.
2 things, again
1- This was in Ottawa
2- It is very likely they received a tip, this was probably not random
Sorry yorkke, we know authorities have abused their power before. With no body to overlook their conduct and with a provision of “random”, abuse can become prevalent.
If it wasn’t random, what’s the problem with getting a warrant.
If there was a ‘tip”, where was the warrant?
If it was not random, then it was “profiling”.
It strikes me as odd that most folks on the “left” are outraged when we profile Arabs or people of colour…but find it perfectly acceptable when the “perp” is a member of that evil old “organized religion”. I guess we are so “incensed” at the percieved crime that we let our sense of justice and freedom fly out the window.
And is it not a bit of a stretch to call this old priest a “diddler”, “child rapist” etc? From what I understand, he had a penchant for looking at photos of “adolescent males in a state of arousal”… This is a far cry from buggering
8 years olds.
We don’t know all the facts, but we do know that at first the Ottawa police were reluctant to persue it further as they were “unsure” of the illegality of the pics. That says to me that they were NOT what I would call “child porn”.
Our society has become hysterical over this so-called “pedophilia”, and what constitutes “child porn”. Let me clear it up for those of you that watch too much Fox News…
a “pedophile” is aroused at images of pre-pubescent children – those showing no signs of sexual maturity. Looking at pics of 10 year-olds would be pedophile-“ish”.
Looking at pictures of 16-17 males modelling in the nude, although ILLEGAL in Canada, does NOT.
BTW if any of you watched American Beauty and enjoyed Mena Suvari…then you too must be a pedophile, as she was UNDERAGE at the time of the filming!
Anyone remember Phoebe Cates?
And who can forget Thora Birch’s lovely (and naturally a bit lop-sided) breasts in the same film? Oh my, and she just 16!
Should you turn yourself in NOW, or LATER?
Hypocrites.
Again Frosty, a warrant is not needed to check ANYTHING coming into this country and I daresay any other country on this Earth.
As for the legalities of pics, the police will go to the Crown for advice on the laying of charges and in fact for some crimes the police must seek permission from the Crown to lay them.
Again (patiently, as if addressing a small child) Bro’ Tim,
There is no dispute that hard drive searches are done, and that their legality has (so far) been upheld in courts…
The point that I, and many others around the world are making, is that it is being done under the guise, the ‘thin false moustache’, of “security”.
No-one has a problem with officials checking if a electronic device is real, and not a bomb…but when it comes to “random” hard drive searches when arriving in a country, this is a different matter altogether. Content on a computer is not a physical entity like a book or a box of truffles. ANY “illegal” data, pics, videos or even subversive communist literature,. lol, can be sent electronically anyway – there is no need to physically “import” these things.
And so, catching a few people out with this “illegal” electronic content, at the expense of the privacy of the 99.9% of the rest of us, is NOT good.
And THAT, BT, is why there is so much opposition and so many court challenges to this Draconian tactic. I am happy for you if you are content to live in an incipient police state, but many of us value our freedoms from unreasonable examination by law enforcement.
Sure, you’re “OK” with it now because of your disgust at the “crime”…but we’ll see how you feel when you’re pulled in for a strip search over those “illegal” episodes of LOST you have saved, or that “cracked” version of WoW your brother gave you…
…bend over, and spread ’em, Bro’ Tim…here comes the rubber glove…
I hate to backtrack, but I missed this earlier.
“They are permitted to open your laptop, go to the ‘my photos’ file and have a look.” Westcoastkid
I love this. What an absolute gem. Imagine reading that in the CBSA handbook. Thou has the right to view “my photos”. Thou shall not, under any circumstances, view “my music” “my videos” the “C” drive or any other parts of a computer.
If I was the old diddler I would put my pics under My Documents. That would throw them for a loop!
Frosty, this is not a new phenonemon. Searches have been going on for decades. A laptop is just a different item. They are done not only for “security” but for criminal activities such as smuggling (which bringing in child porn is), illegal immigrants, people fleeing justice, and so on.