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(CNN)Rights groups have denounced a new law in New Zealand under which travelers can be fined thousands of dollars if they refuse to allow border officials access to their phone.
Under the Customs and Excise Act 2018, which came into force this week, officials will be able to demand travelers unlock any electronic device so it can be searched. Anyone who refuses can face prosecution and a fine of up to $3,200 (5,000 NZD).
Officials can also retain devices and potentially confiscate them from travelers who refuse to allow a search at the border.
The New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties (CCL) described the new law as a "grave invasion of personal privacy of both the person who owns the device and the people they have communicated with."
"Modern smartphones contain a large amount of highly sensitive private information including emails, letters, medical records, personal photos, and very personal photos," the group's chairman Thomas Beagle said in a statement.
"The reality of this law is that it gives Customs the power to take and force the unlock of peoples smartphones without justification or appeal -- and this is exactly what Customs has always wanted."
Privacy Foundation New Zealand said members had expressed concern to the government during the consultation process about the retention of passwords by border officials and the safeguards on searches of devices.
A spokeswoman for New Zealand Customs said the change to the law was necessary as "the shift from paper-based systems to electronic systems has meant that the majority of prohibited material and documents are now stored electronically."
Sadly, guilty until proven innocent is becoming the norm these days, and people just accept the bullshit.
Here's my thought on the subject...
I've really been chomping at the bit to visit NZ someday. If I did now, I'd just leave my Android phone at home, buy a cheap burner and sync up once I got into the country. So there
Google is shutting down much of its social network, Google+, after user data was left exposed.
It said a bug in its software meant information that people believed was private had been accessible by third parties.
Google said up to 500,000 users had been affected.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the company knew about the issue in March but did not disclose it.
The WSJ quoted an internal Google memo that said doing so would draw "immediate regulatory interest".
In a statement, the firm said the issue was not serious enough to inform the public.
"Our Privacy and Data Protection Office reviewed this issue, looking at the type of data involved, whether we could accurately identify the users to inform, whether there was any evidence of misuse, and whether there were any actions a developer or user could take in response.
"None of these thresholds were met here."
Failed venture
Google+ was launched in 2011, quickly becoming known as a failed attempt to compete with Facebook.
Now, after several years of speculation that it was going to be shut down, Google is bringing Google+ for consumers to an end.
Google said it would continue to offer private Google+ powered networks for businesses currently using the software.
"It has not achieved broad consumer or developer adoption, and has seen limited user interaction with apps," wrote Ben Smith, Google's vice president of engineering, in a blog post on Monday.
In the past, the company had been reluctant to share data on how often Google+ was used, but now, facing the fall out of exposed data, the firm appears keen to play down its importance.
"The consumer version of Google+ currently has low usage and engagement: 90% of Google+ user sessions are less than five seconds."
Shares in Google's parent company Alphabet fell by 1.23%.
A thought-provoking read. I saw the episode of Black Mirror they mention in the article.. pretty freaky (the whole series is quite good in this regard.. a modern day Twilight Zone, if you will.)
To me, this seems like a case of 'nothing to see here'. 537 cases out of 14m. It's not really a risk, or an invasion of privacy, unless you are dodgy in the first place.
No doubt the power could be abused, but unless you are a prick to the custom officers, I'd suggest that risk is also too low to worry about.
In your case @Rrrracer leaving your phone at home seems a little irrational. But what you describe is no doubt what the majority of people that customs are trying to catch/exclude will do.