The land of the free, founded on a French-backed terrorist insurgency, has announced that it will allow its security agents to search people's laptops as they come into the country.

The United States of America's Homeland Security, has decided that investigators don't have to suspect illegal activity in order to read people's e-mail, examine their photographs, and find out what Web sites they have visited when they enter the United States with laptops or other electronic devices.

Spot checks of all people entering the U.S. with a laptop are now likely, according to the Daily Telegraph. Basically, it means that if you are daft enough to carry a laptop into the U.S. you could have it seized and held while it is investigated for suspect content.  Although the law is that it has to be handed over within a reasonable period of time, no one has said what that time is.

Chances are if you take your laptop to the U.S. to do any work it could be held until long after you get back. The policy states that border agents must treat business or commercial information as confidential and "take all reasonable measures to protect that information from unauthorized disclosure." The document states that some information may be protected by the Trade Secrets Act and other privacy laws. However, it is hopeless if you have taken your laptop to give a business presentation and found that it will be held on the grounds that Homeland security is protecting U.S. freedom. 

We wonder if U.S. citizens really are regretting that somewhat silly revolution that gave them a system of democracy that is actually less representative than what they would have ended up with if they hadn't arranged that coup against their lawful King. (Get over it already, at least you've still got Ulster... sub.ed.)