[redwards510]

If the US started doing this (scanning phones for islamic terrorism files) to foreigners at the border, would you care? If it was just a scan and no data was harvested?

I believe strongly in the right to privacy, but I have to admit, I do not want anyone coming into my country who has beheading videos on their phone. Unless they are a journalist or something, obviously.

[kemiller2002]

Actually yes I would. What we see now as abhorrent may and will change in the future. The images you are describing obviously make my stomach churn, but how long will it be until they are scanning to deny access to anyone they want to. For example...."Oh it looks like that is a Jewish ceremony." Once this door opens, it can be used for so many other evil things.

[runeb]

I don’t think you strongly believe in the right to privacy.

[crispyporkbites]

How many terrorists have entered US territory through an airport with a beheading video on their phone and then carried out an attack on US soil?

Answer: approximately zero

How many terrorists would be deterred by this policy?

Answer: none

How many ordinary people would be more likely to carry out attacks or harbour resentment towards the USA because of policies like these?

Answer: more than 0

[wang_li]

> How many ordinary people would be more likely to carry out attacks or harbour resentment towards the USA because of policies like these?

Someone who hoards beheading videos is not ordinary and it's perfectly in line with the international norms to be able to exclude undesirable people from entering into a country. E.g. Canada won't let people who have past criminal convictions enter, like a DUI.

[papermachete]

>just a scan and no data was harvested?

Then keeping privacy in mind, I should be able to scroll around my gallery and play a few sound files to convince the authorities. Another option would be to ask for the source code and an hour to compile it, then run the app, provided an audit has shown no malicious functionalities.

[bongobongo]

You may not know this, but the Constitution guarantees the same rights to foreigners on US soil as it does to US citizens. (This is a pretty basic part of civic education, but civic education in the US these days is terrible.)

So, no, I would not be OK with the government violating the Constitution.

[thebooktocome]

This isn't actually true. The majority of constitutional rights apply to foreigners, but some don't.

https://www.learnliberty.org/blog/t-he-constitutional-rights...

[inlined]

But borders are held to have suspended rights. And a large majority of the population lives within 100 miles of the border.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_search_exception

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/population.html

It’s also been hypothesized that the “border” could be expanded to include many more. International airports are arguably ports of entry. Native American territories and embassies + consulates are considered foreign soil.

[vecplane]

This is true, and an arbitrary stance like certain videos on your phone prevent entry into the US isn't appropriate. But at the same time, any country reserves the right to deny entry based on reasonable criteria. It's just a question of what those criteria are, and how much access the state should have to search someone upon entering.

[cat199]

> on US soil

But not before they have technically entered..

(and no, this doesn't mean i'm anti immigration)

edit: or pro searching, etc

[educationdata]

If the US government started doing this, there definitely will be lawsuit and most probably the government will be defeated in the court. But in China, things do not work this way. The supreme court of China must follow the demand of the communist party, see: https://www.ft.com/content/60dddd46-dc74-11e6-9d7c-be108f1c1...

It's just pathetic to see this kind of whataboutism keeps coming up on this website. The US and China have very different political systems, the former is democratic republic, the later is authoritarian. It is not a close comparison.

[burgerboy]

What is wrong with having a video file of violence on your phone? I'm pretty sure it's totally legal.

And what if it was a scene from saw or something?