Dirty Old Men at U.S. Customs

Any of you planning on entering the U.S. from Thailand, be sure to eliminate or hide any pornographic photos or videos. In July, 2005 and again yesterday, a customs officer searched my luggage thoroughly. Yesterday's search was pretty ludicrous. The officer spent a good twenty minutes viewing a tape in my video camera (lucky for me, unlucky for him, it was an endless tape of scenery flashing by on the road between Phuket and Phang Nga which my Thai friend had taken). Ditto for my digital camera. Since I never take porn pictures or videos, he never found anything titillating.

The kicker was when he asked to see the contents of my lap-top. I turned it on and he poked half a dozen buttons trying to find stuff. It was comically obvious that he had not a clue about how to use a computer. I asked him what he was looking for and he said "directories", so, rather than go to "Windows explorer", I punched up "programs" from the start menu and all he could see was a long list of program names. Still, without a clue, he asked if I had any video or photos in my computer. I lied and said "no" even though I actually had a vast collection of photos in my laptop with a few "risque" photos. Why help somebody whose IQ seemed to be lower than his age?

It makes absolutely no sense to me why customs need to search for pornography from Thailand when even more smutty stuff can be purchased on-line or from adult bookstores in the U.S. Maybe they're trying to protect the smut industry in the U.S. against foreign competion. Or, maybe it was child pornography they were looking for. I do not know.

In any case, I strongly recommend that you eliminate or hide any pornographic stuff on your laptop or on CD-ROMS or video or still cameras before coming to the U.S. from Thailand.

As for those "risque" photos...any suggestion about hiding them? I'm thinking of removing them from "my pictures" file and putting them in an area outside of "my documents" in a file with some sort of boring name like "xtechnicalx" or something.

I'd love to hear from others about their experience with customs searches. It was scary while it happened but looking back on the haplessness of the customs officer brings a grin to my face.

American Donny

About those "

They're probably looking for more than just plain old pornography. Like kiddie porn, or shots of you abusing children.

[Smiles]

They're probably looking for more than just plain old pornography. Like kiddie porn, or shots of you abusing children.
Then you would think they'd be given, at the very least, a modicum of training on how to find such stuff on a computer.

My read of AmericanDonny's post was that the customs dudes (in the US ... at this airport ~ whichever it was) were idiots, hardly capable of finding whatever it was they were looking for.

Cheers ...

You'd think so, yes. Maybe this one wasn't the brightest bulb in the chandelier.

[catawampuscat]

I am sure boygeenus didn't mean you personally had child porn but that is what they are looking for as it is illegal and visitors to countries like Thailand are often suspected..
In the rare event your bags were checked at Thailand customs, I have been told they would confiscate nudie magazines sold commonly in the West as pornography is not allowed officially..

When I passed thru US Customs recently, I was asked over and over if I had a lap top which was clear I didn't and then a new one ..Did I have an I Pod?? He asked this over and over..I now realize one can download photos on an I Pod but at the time I didn't understand his interest..
Problems with pedophiles abusing young children are unfortunately rampant and I am glad the authorities are trying to curb it.. Every so often a farang gets caught in Thailand with vast amounts of child porn as the pedophiles can get off over and over on the photos.. I am no fan of the police and custom authorities but am willing to put up with anything if it can help reduce the rape and abuse of young children..

Catawumpuscat is correct...I certainly didn't mean the original poster had child porn. I meant that that's the kind of thing they'd likely be looking for. After all, there is nothing illegal in the US about regular ol' smut.

Luckily, in all the back and forth I do, I've never been asked anything or given a second glance by Customs. I wonder what kind of "profile" they're using?