Comment by edanm | Hacker News Reader

Comment by edanm | Hacker News Reader

I really can't believe all the negativity here towards traveling to the US. You're taking a few admittedly awful anecdotes, and turning them into giant statistics about the country.

You know that thought experiment where you have scientists debating global warming, but to make it clear just how much consensus there is, instead of having 1 scientist against and 1 pro, you have 1 against and a whole crowd pro?

I run this thought experiment every time I enter the states. I can usually see around me many thousands of people in the airport, getting along just fine. I can imagine the many tens of thousands who go through those airports every day, and the probably millions all across the country who go through the airports without trouble.

These millions are what you should be stacking up against the dozens of anecdotes you get on the web.

(For what it's worth, I have had very easy experiences with immigration, with mostly people being very nice to me, but a few times someone was rude/mean to me. Nothing more than that.)

But from the company's perspective, all that matters is that it _can_ and _does_ happen.

I don't believe anyone is saying every single person coming into the US will get searched. We _know_ they are not. But searches _do_ happen and _are_ legal, and that alone justifies preparing for the eventuality.

My employer has always had rules about how to take care of data on your devices. They tell you to enable encryption and to never leave your company laptop alone and stuff like that. The vast majority of employees will never have their devices stolen, but the fact that some might is enough justification to make sure everyone does their best to protect their data. It's the same thing.

That you always had very easy experiences with immigration _is_ the anecdote here, because it does nothing to change the fact that _some_ people will get their devices searched (and data potentially copied) by Immigration agents.

Yes, you are right, but a mere possibility of searching my phone and going through possibly humiliating experience makes me to avoid it at all.

I know, chances are small, and I'll likely avoid all of this stuff, but I hate such unfair communication, and therefore I don't even want to try it. For me it is important, and I wouldn't trade my confidence even for a small chance.

Failures are an important part of judging a system. So of course they get outsize attention.

I agree with you. I'd actually like to know how many people really get send back at the border. There are occasional stories but the number can't be higher than 0.1% or so..

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