Originally Posted by Kremmen
If that is true, why is it the case? Someone inept (or malicious) could do massive damage to data without ones knowledge. They could do so even if you were watching, but knowing what needs to be fixed/recovered from backup would reduce the hassle factor enormously.
The thing that struck me as odd about it was that all of the physical searching was done right in front of me, with every opportunity for me to see exactly what was being searched and put everything back in its place afterwards. Maybe they aren't required to do that, but they did it that way. Why then conduct the laptop data search in such a different manner?
There are several reasons why people are not always allowed to witness the search of their bags, vehicles, etc. during a CBP inspection. The first is that often they get in the way. Another is for officer safety, especially if the travelers outnumber the officers involved. A third is that there are some inspection methods and technology that are simply not for public knowledge. Finally, it is sometimes just an established policy after something happens.
Now, I can't see how any of those apply to this laptop search. My guess is the guy was either just copping an attitude, or he thought he was a computer genius and didn't want to give away his super-top-secret computer search techniques.
