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Comment by rtpg | Hacker News Reader

probably not nearly as much as we'd believe. Pretty much every case of border frustration that I've heard from this group of people has usually turned out somewhat founded (like when Greenwald's partner got stopped while he was actually carrying confidential documents).

Then again, police harass people for no good reason all the time, so the TSA could very well have the same culture. Not a huge fan of security theater.

EDIT: stand corrected, the harrassement by the DHS agents described in this is pretty horrible

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Laura Poitras talks about it in this interview with Bill Maher. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYTUJ6st2Aw

Theres plenty of articles out there about this topic. http://www.salon.com/2012/04/08/u_s_filmmaker_repeatedly_det...

Even as a western European foreigner who does nothing of interest to anyone, US immigration comes off as very hostile in comparison to any other country I have visited and TSA agents are basically on the same level as prison wardens (low education, low pay and enabled to power trip over anyone without a fear of repercussions).

> on the same level as prison wardens (low education, low pay and enabled to power trip over anyone without a fear of repercussions).

And they act the same way too, looking at you as if you were a criminal and asking you questions barking.

I actually found the opposite when I visited the US for the first time last year. I was slightly nervous about encountering the TSA as I'd read some absolute horror stories online (many through Hacker News). But I've got to say, the TSA agents I encountered were incredibly friendly and helpful, even chatting and joking with my wife and I^.

Of course they did break into my suit case and destroy my pad lock but hey ho, at least they left me a friendly note.

Anyway I think it's important that both sides of the coin are represented here, people are more likely to write about negative experiences in general.

^We were on honeymoon in Orlando which probably accounts for the generally positive reception :)

A couple years back I got fast tracked for the first time through a TSA line ( France -> Chicago ). Person who was sitting next to me in the flight was just as American as I was but hey her skin was dark (4th generation Indian parents or something?) so she got pulled to the side.

Based off of similar discussions I've had with other people on flights like this, a really good first approximation of the stopping time is "color of skin."

I've been pulled to the side seems like 30% of the time and I'm just a mutt from the Midwest with some international trips in my passport. I don't take offense because it happens with so many people and so many people glide through unscathed whether pulled aside or not. it's annoying but always random enough.

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